Evergreen
by Aninat131
Summary: Many untold stories happened after Bellwether's arrest. From Judy's leg injury, to her reinstatement, her convincing of Nick to join her, awkward family conversations on both sides, Nick's training, and many more. This is a story of how a fox and bunny helped each other through those times, grow close, and develop a certain feeling for each other they never thought they would.
1. Hold On

**A/N:** It has been confirmed that the duration between Bellwether's arrest and Nick's graduation was 9 months. A lot can happen in that time, and after seeing the movie, I wished to bring them to light through this story. This story will be a bridge that links the end of the movie together, beginning with Judy's injury.

I sincerely hope you will enjoy "Evergreen".

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Hold On**

Something was gnawing at Judy.

Not literally, of course. That would have been silly.

"Nick? Why are you gnawing on my ear?" Judy asked.

Okay, maybe literally.

Judy looked up, to see Nick's playful smile and faux look of aggression. He pulled back for a moment, making a show of licking his lips.

"Ah, I thought you were into acting, Carrots. Aren't you supposed to scream in horrible agony about blood and death everywhere?"

"We already went through that. Five minutes ago. Bellwether's already being arrested, and I'm pretty sure we have all the confession we need in here," Judy said, holding up her carrot recorder pen. "So I think you can cut the Oscar performance."

"Aww, that's a shame. I was quite proud of it myself. Vicious fox trapped with meek bunny in a deep enclosed pit? I completely nailed it. Bellwether didn't suspect a thing."

"Yeah, she didn't…" Judy looked around. Still no one was coming. "Ugh, this is ridiculous. Why would the museum even make a pit that people can easily fall into without an easy way to climb back out?"

"Or they could have at least put safety railings," Nick offered. "Still, you make a point. Where's the officers that were supposed to get us out of here?"

"I'm not sure…I think they're still looking for a ladder." Judy sat and leaned against the wall of the pit enclosure, holding her left leg. The blood had slowed, but it was already seeping through the handkerchief that Nick had used to wrap around the wound.

"ZPD. Exemplary model of efficiency," Nick made a show of it with his hands. "Good thing you quit."

"Like you would know, fox." A loud, imposing voice echoed from above. Both Judy and Nick looked up to see a familiar buffalo standing at the top of the pit.

"Chief Bogo!" Judy exclaimed.

"Maintenance room is locked, Hopps. The staff won't be here for another thirty minutes to unlock it."

"What?! But she's bleeding out!" Nick exclaimed, pointing at her bandaged leg.

Bogo immediately looked down, staring intently at Judy's leg. From so far below, along with her inability to walk, Bogo looked really threatening. Nick's words seemed to trigger something in him, though.

"Hopps, get on his back. I saw a rope in the next room. I'll pull you up." Bogo said stepping away from the pit.

 _On his…back?_ For some reason, the thought of being completely helpless and being carried on Nick's back made her feel a little warm under her fur, although she didn't think much of it at the time.

"I'm pretty sure he could break down the maintenance room if he tried." Nick remarked. "At least that's one way to get out of here. Ready for a ride, Carrots?"

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Judy responded. Nick extended a hand to help her to her feet, before turning around and stooping down so she could wrap her arms around his neck.

"You could stay here. You'd make a good bunny exhibit for the museum once they open. Hurk!" Nick gagged as Judy's paws tightened around his neck.

"Yeah, and you'd make a good choked fox exhibit."

"Lame bunny." Nicked mused, hoisting her up and wrapping her good leg around his waist.

"Blue fox," Judy shot back.

A long, thick rope tumbled down from the top of the pit. Bogo was back, kneeling on the ground and positioning himself. The rope straightened out, but it was barely out of Nick's reach. Nick stretched his hands upwards as far as he could, but he still fell short. There was still a good few inches before he could meet the end of the rope.

 _It's not…long enough._

"Come on…just a little more…" Nick willed. He pushed himself onto his toes, but it still wasn't enough.

"Jump, fox!" Bogo called out.

Nick took a deep breath, crouching slightly. The bunny on his back was a lot heavier than he expected. He jumped, arms outstretched. Judy's heart skipped a beat when Nick's first hand missed the rope. But before he could go tumbling back down to the ground, he managed to snag the rope with his other hand, swinging wildly for a moment before slowly stabilising. Bogo grunted, the force of the swaying testing his limits. With a loud huff, he began pulling both of them out with his immense strength. Towards the stop, Nick's grip faltered a little, and he slid down slightly. Judy could almost see his fur stand on end.

"Nick!" she yelped, tightening her grip around his neck.

"Can't...breathe...Carrots!" he gasped, hugging the rope as tightly as he could.

Despite the pain in his hands, he hung on. He didn't fancy falling with an already injured bunny on his back. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Bogo pulled them out of the pit, slowly lowering them to the ground. He was breathing a little heavily. Nick knelt down to let Judy off his back, rubbing his hands and his sore neck.

"Are you okay, Nick?" Judy asked, looking over his shoulder. Nick sighed.

"I almost got choked to death by a lame bunny. Yeah, I'm fine." Nick turned, a cheeky grin plastered across his face. Judy smiled back.

"Thanks, Chief," Judy said, letting go of Nick's shoulders. "You guys got here just in time to catch Bellwether. We owe you one."

"No, Hopps. We should be thanking you. You've single-handedly unveiled the biggest corruption scandal to ever befall Zootopia, and solved it. Twice." Bogo said, deadpanning the last part.

"Well, I didn't do it myself. Nick is the one that made it happen."

"Well now, I don't remember myself doing all that much. I was just eating blueberries," Nick said, getting up and dusting himself off. "How're you doing, Chief?" He gave a quick wave to Bogo, who was eyeing him wordlessly.

 _Probably thinking about what Nick said to him at the sky tram…_ Judy thought to herself. She hoped that wasn't going to complicate matters as they stood. With Bogo's temperament, things possibly wouldn't end well…

Her thoughts were interrupted by growing murmurs by the entrance of the natural history museum. They were quickly turning into loud gasps and loud stamping. The sound of camera shutters were starting to go off.

"Looks like the public has caught on. Or the press. We'd better leave before they end up blocking the road and finding you. Bellwether's arrest is going to cause a lot of trouble…" Bogo said, sighing.

 _Bellwether…_ Something clicked in her head.

"Oh, right! Chief! Here, you'll need this." Judy pulled out her carrot pen. "A full confession by the mayor. She won't be able to get away from this one." She stood proudly in front of her former boss.

Bogo eyed it, nodding.

"I'll pass this to the investigations department for extraction. The confession should put her behind bars and put an end to the Night howler incidents. But you don't need to worry about that. You have more important things to attend to," Bogo said, taking the pen from her and slipping it into his pocket.

"What things?"

"Carrots, you're bleeding out," Nick said matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Right." She looked down, seeing her leg starting to drip a few drops of blood onto the ground. "Forgot about that."

"How do you forget that you're bleeding out?" Nick asked, incredulous. Judy ignored him.

"Don't worry, Chief. I'll just head over to the hospital. Shouldn't be too difficult."

"No, Hopps, that won't be necessary," Bogo replied firmly. "I'll bring you to the hospital myself." He motioned for them to follow him.

Judy blinked for a moment, stunned, before she found her voice. "You don't need to do that, Chief. You should be getting back to help with Bellwether's case."

"I insist. Now come along, Hopps."

Nick and Judy both exchanged glances, but it looked like the buffalo had his mind set. They followed him to a side entrance of the museum. Judy held on to Nick for support, limping with her good leg. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she could feel the pain returning to her leg.

And boy did it hurt.

Still, with Nick supporting her, she felt safe, like everything was going to be okay. It was over. They had won.

As they exited through the side entrance of the museum, Judy turned her head just in time to see a livid Bellwether being hauled into the back of the police cruiser. The crowd began swarming like a bunch of angry flies to a sugar cube. Thankfully, the officers on site were large enough to swat them away and hold them back. That was one thing she couldn't do well as a bunny, she thought. There was a reason why most officers in the field were large-sized mammals.

"Carrots."

Judy was snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Nick. He actually looked mildly worried.

"You need to get into the car."

It took a moment before she realised she had been standing next to the open car door for quite a while. "O-oh, right. Of course." She smiled sheepishly.

"I think you're going into shock. Don't you go bleeding out on me." He helped her into the car, shutting the door behind her. He went over to the other side and got in, pushing a large blue bag to the ground to make room. Chief Bogo glanced back in the mirror.

"All in? Right, we're going." With a roar of the engine, the police cruiser sped off from the rapidly accumulating crowd.

Judy kept her head down until they were out of sight. When they were, she sighed in relief as Nick helped her buckle in. His eyes were trained on the seatbelt, but she could see him inconspicuously trying to take worried glances at her injured leg. It was honestly sweet to see him caring this much about her. Cold and detached. That was how he acted to the world, but now she was starting to see his true colours. Deep down, even though he tried to hide it, she knew he cared. She had her suspicions on the sky tram, when he had played it off coolly by mentioning the traffic cameras to avoid talking about his emotions. And more so when they had escaped down the toilet at the lab and flushed down a waterfall. She was underwater, but she heard him clearly. He called her Judy. The fear and concern on his face was real, even though he had denied it right after. Nicholas P. Wilde was a kind and gentle soul, no matter how much he tried to hide it.

And a part of her was smirking triumphantly at knowing that she had seen through his little façade.

 _I have to call him out on it one of these days..._ She would definitely savour that moment. She could already imagine his red face and stuttering as he would invariably try to defend his actions, or try to change the subject. But she wasn't going to let that one go. No way.

"Carrots, you're…smiling. Why are you smiling? Look, if you see a bright white light, do not start walking towards it, you hear me? I repeat, do not walk towards it. Stay with me here."

Judy rolled her eyes. "I'm _fine_ , Nick. I haven't lost that much blood. I'm more worried about dripping it on Chief Bogo's carpet. Don't you have another handkerchief to wrap the wound?"

"That was my only one. My favourite one too…" He added, almost soft enough that Judy couldn't hear.

Almost.

"I don't really have another." He finished, rifling through his pockets to no avail.

"There's a towel in my gym bag. Use that to bandage the wound." Bogo's gruff voice boomed from the front.

Nick looked down, at a blue bag that was essentially as big as Judy. He reached in and pulled out a small face towel. Which was still pretty large by bunny standards.

"That works."

He began expertly wrapping Judy's leg right over the blood-soaked handkerchief. Judy took a deep breath. Even though she had told Nick it was okay, the amount of blood she was currently seeing was indeed more than a little troubling.

"Hopps, we're reaching soon. I'll drive to the emergency section. Fox, they should have some wheelchairs that you can use to get her in. I'll head back to the precinct to hand the evidence over to extraction."

"Got it. Thanks, Chief."

"I do have a name, you know, Chief," Nick said, smirking.

"I know. Just don't care."

 _Hoo boy. This is not gonna end well._

The police cruiser slowed as the large white hospital building came into view, with the red and white hospital insignia emblazoned on the side of the building. People were making way for the police cruiser, some passing curious looks. Eventually the vehicle came to a complete stop, and Bogo pulled up the handbrake. Nick didn't hesitate, getting out of the vehicle and grabbing a wheelchair from a station nearby. Judy opened her side of the vehicle.

"Hopps."

Judy turned, body halfway out the door as Nick approached her side of the car.

"You did good. I would be proud to have an officer like you at Precinct One. If you ever want your badge back, you know where to find me."

Judy was stunned, unable to find the words to say. She could only nod weakly as Nick helped her onto the wheelchair and closed the door. Bogo's statement wasn't something she had expected to hear from him. She knew he had a nice side, but she still wasn't used to seeing it. She was a lot more used to his gruff, seemingly aloof personality. As the police car circled around the carpark and exited, she couldn't help but feel a welling of pride in her chest.

"Seems like even stubborn Buffalo-butt has a heart, huh?" Nick commented.

"Yeah, he does." Judy smiled. _Just like you, Nick._

The hospital seemed quite busy. Through the glass, Judy could see a whole lot of different animals, most of them waiting. Numbers were being called out, while some animals took a glance at the screen and their tickets. Most others were on their phones, some yawning as they waited for their number to be called.

She felt herself being moved as Nick pushed the wheelchair through the automatic sliding doors for medium sized animals. Instantly the smell of medicine and antiseptic assaulted her sensitive nose, making her wince. She never liked hospitals. It just was so…sterile. Too clean and perfect. She would have taken the smell of car exhaust over this.

Her thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like 'vroom-vroom' noises. She looked up, to see Nick pushing her as if her wheelchair was a motor vehicle, with sound effects to boot.

"It's like I'm driving a cop car," Nick mused, petting her head. "Which ear makes the sirens and the toot-toot?"

"The left ear. But if you pull it, the right ear will slap your face."

That gave Nick pause. Judy was pretty sure he was still thinking about doing it. At least he also didn't look sure about whether rabbit anatomy actually allowed her to do that. Judy sure wished it did.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked.

"Of course I am," he replied. "How often do I get to push around a bunny cop in a wheelchair? I need to milk this one as hard as I can."

"You can continue playing street racer after we find out where to go. Any ideas?" she began looking around the crowd of people. A sign hung overhead, pointing in many different directions. _X-ray, pharmacy…_

"Oh, I think I found it!" Nick's voice caused her ears to perk up. Her head soon followed. He was pointing to the far left of the room. She looked at the large glowing sign above the doors.

DELIVERY WARDS

She looked back at him. He was grinning from ear to ear.

 _Bunny multiplying jokes. Of course._ Judy sighed.

* * *

"Okay, Miss Hopps. The wound was a little deep, but not life threatening. Only five stitches." The badger holding a clipboard and pen said, scribbling something illegibly on Judy's file. "You've lost quite a bit of blood though. I'm prescribing you some iron tablets to help get you back on track. No intensive activities for a while, got it? No running, jumping…"

Judy looked down at her leg. They had bandaged around the stitches so she couldn't see it. They had also cut away the bloodied portion of her jeans during the surgery, which meant that one of her pant legs was now shorter than the other. It did look odd, for sure. Thankfully her leg wasn't hurting like heck now thanks to the anaesthetic. The room was modest; she had been wheeled here after the surgery was done.

She looked back up at the badger, who was wearing a clean white coat. On the front, she saw a smaller version of his face, with the words 'Dr Matthew Morlez' written beside it.

"Yeah, don't worry, doc. I don't think I need to worry about intensive activities for a while." Judy chuckled.

"Of course you don't. You got fired." Nick's voice casually rang out from behind the doctor. He was standing by a shelf with a bunch of medical equipment and medicine.

"I didn't get fired, I quit." Judy shot back.

"That's what they all say," Nick chuckled, picking up a clear plastic bag with dubious looking green liquid inside. "Ooh." He began poking it inquisitively.

"Sir, please do not touch the medicine," The badger frowned, turning to Nick and giving him a disapproving look.

"Anyway, she'll be fine, right?" Nick asked, placing the bag down. Judy knew it was only a matter of time before his itchy paws would reach out and touch something else.

"Yes, she will be fine. As long as she doesn't do anything to aggravate the wound. She can come back to remove the stitches in about two weeks. It'll take a little longer to get back to full fitness, but she'll get there."

Doctor Morlez turned back to her, clearing his throat. Nick immediately went to the drawer in front of him and pulled out a scalpel.

 _And there it is._

"Your leg will be a little numb for a while. You won't feel the pain until tomorrow morning, probably. Make sure to take the painkillers to stop that. I'm prescribing a course of antibiotics to avoid further infection too. If your fur changes colour, stop the medication and come back to the hospital. Now, don't forget to take the medicine after mea–"

"Wait, what do you mean my fur changes colour?"

"Oh, it's just a minor side effect that happens sometimes. The most common colours are blue and pink. Don't worry, it's not dangerous."

Judy blinked. She could see Nick snickering to himself in the corner of her eye.

"Uh, okay." An uneasy feeling suddenly settled at the bottom of her gut, after hearing all the different types of medicine being read out. "Doc, how much is the bill?"

"Oh, no need to worry, Miss Hopps. Everything has been taken care of by one Mr…Bogo."

"Chief Bogo?" _He covered all the charges?_ The buffalo was surprising her more and more. His attitude towards her had changed ever since she'd found the missing mammals, but it had been slight. This was something else altogether. But she wasn't complaining. If she had to pay for the surgery, she could forget about even staying in that seedy, run-down apartment.

"That's right. You don't need to worry about the charges. If there's nothing else, you're officially discharged, Miss Hopps. Just sign your discharge papers and you're good to go." He handed her the clipboard. In the corner of her eye, she saw Nick poking the plastic bag with the scalpel. She tried not to roll her eyes as she quickly signed the paper.

"Take your time. When you're ready, just pick up your medicine from the pharmacy." The badger turned around to leave, but not before shooting Nick a glare. Nick's hands were behind his back while he whistled innocently, the bag nowhere in sight. Still looking unsatisfied, the doctor left the room, never taking his eyes off the fox until he was completely out of the room.

Judy waited until she was quite sure the badger was gone, before giving Nick a disapproving look.

"Nick, you really shouldn't play with hospital stuff…"

"But they'd never let me touch it otherwise." Nick replied, pulling the hapless bag of goop from behind his back and squeezing it. "What do you think they use this for?" Judy had to admit: the childlike wonder in his eyes was quite adorable.

"I don't know, but you should put it down. It might be dangerous."

"It's not like I'm eating the stuff." He pulled out an oxygen mask from the corner of the room and put it over his face. "Say, I think you'd look nice with pink fur. How about it? Promise me you'll keep your fur if it turns pink."

"Only if you agree to have your fur turn blue, Nick." Judy chuckled. Taking her phone from the bedside table, she tucked it into the right pocket of her jeans. Realising what was still inside, she quickly pulled her phone out and stuffed it into her other pocket. Thankfully, Nick didn't notice her sudden moment of panic, or he didn't think much of it.

 _That was close. I can't let him see this._

"Anyway, Carrots." Nick continued. "I hear a bunny's biggest strength is in her legs, right? Well, besides multiplying, anyway."

"Well, yes...hey!"

"So, since your leg is out of order, you're gonna need someone to be your pair of legs for the next few days. I thought that maybe you'd like some help."

Judy waited for the pun, the punchline, but it never came. Seconds of silence passed. Judy's eyes narrowed slightly, trying to figure out the fox's game. _He has to be playing one._

Yet, it didn't look like he was. Although it was difficult to see through the oxygen mask, she could see his smile. It looked sincere.

"You're serious, Nick?"

"When am I not?"

 _I shouldn't have asked._ But this was an even bigger surprise than Bogo earlier. Again, not an unwelcome one, but for Nick? It was definitely unexpected.

"Well, if you are, then I'd…I'd like that." She smiled warmly.

"Fantastic. So, let me check my list. We almost got battered by rams, blown up in a fiery train explosion, and I almost mauled you to death. The next item on the list involves escaping the hospital without something blowing up." Nick began tossing the bag of liquid into the air like a baseball. "Ready to go?"

Judy got to her feet gingerly. The painkillers were still in effect from the surgery, and her leg felt numb. She stumbled for a moment, yelping. Her leg felt like it wasn't there. But Nick, quick as a flash, was beside her. She fell against his shoulder.

"Heh, looks like baby bunny needs to learn how to walk again."

"Ha ha, very funny. It's just the painkillers, Nick. I can't even feel my legs—uh oh."

"What? What is it?"

"Nick, you…" she groaned, pointing behind him. The squishy bag of goop had fallen onto the floor and ruptured, oozing out the green…ooze. Nick's eyes widened.

"Okay, time to go." Grabbing Judy's hand and wrapping it around his waist, he helped the injured bunny out of the bed and out the doorway. He began whistling nonchalantly as they walked past several nurses, who seemed too busy to care.

"Nick, you should have at least cleaned up the spill…" she whispered.

"Ah, don't worry about it. They have cleaning staff for a reason. It's just some green goop. What's the worst that could happen?"

They turned the corner of the corridor, weaving past patients and staff towards the pharmacy. A few minutes after the pair left, Doctor Matthew Morlez walked back into the room, reading a patient's file while holding a scalding hot cup of coffee.

"EEEYYAAAAAHHHH!" The sounds of slipping, falling, and coffee spilling over places it shouldn't punctured the otherwise quiet air of the hospital.

"WHERE IS THAT DAMN FOX!?"

* * *

"I think I heard something." Judy said, her ears perking up and scanning around like radar dishes.

"You always hear something. You're a bunny."

"Do you ever get tired of making bunny jokes?" Judy frowned, looking up at him as the antelope over the counter began reading out instructions for her medication.

"Do you ever get tired of being a bunny?" Nick retorted, smirking.

"Yes," she replied, grabbing the overfilled plastic bag from the counter.

"Well then me…" he found himself lost for words. "…not bad, Carrots. You got me there."

"Let's just get out of here. I'm starving. You up for some dinner?" She eyed the exit. It was already dark outside; even a tiny dehydrated carrot sounded heavenly at that point.

"Always. But I don't think the hospital will let you take the wheelchair home, Carrots."

"I'll be _fine_ , Nick. I'm good enough to walk without a wheelchair."

"But not good enough to walk without fox support, huh?" Nick quipped.

"I'll admit that much." Judy said, giving him a knowing look as they approached the exit.

"Well that's a first." Nick replied, smiling as he made a motion to open the glass doors.

Judy never got a chance to make a witty comeback. The moment the glass doors opened, they were both blinded by intense flashes of light. Relative silence turned to loud clamouring as a whole group of different animals, armed with cameras and microphones, began closing in.

"There she is!"

"Miss Hopps, can you tell us more about the incident with Mayor Bellwether?!"

"Is it true that she is the criminal mastermind behind the Nighthowler incidents?!"

"Was your injury caused by the fox beside you going savage?!"

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers I don't need this right now," Judy whispered to herself, squinting her eyes in the face of the glaring flashes. Nick's smile was gone. There didn't seem to be anywhere to run, and the crowd was closing in. Words and clicks grew louder, reverberating in her head as the bright light disoriented her. She instinctively clutched on to Nick's shirt, trying to take a step back.

Nick did not move, nor did he let her. She felt his hand tighten firmly around hers, and he gave her a wordless look. This time, she understood, and nodded.

 _He's going to…_

"Fellas fellas! Calm down. I'll take your questions. Miss Hopps is still a little dazed from the anaesthetic. You there." Nick said, pointing at a portly pig.

"Is it true that Mayor Bellwether plotted to use you as a weapon to kill Miss Hopps?" Microphones began thrusting towards his face. Judy had to resist the urge to flinch, but Nick didn't even budge.

"Is it true that Mayor Bellwether had a weapon? Yes, yes it is."

Furious scribbling.

"Then, what can you tell us about the attack?"

 _Man he's a natural. I'm watching a con artist at work,_ Judy thought to herself. And yet, at that very point she felt as safe as she ever could have. Nick's hand began travelling to her side, gripping slowly around her waist.

" _Hold on."_ she could almost hear his voice in her head, through his touch. She lifted her injured leg slightly, shifting her body weight upwards in preparation. She used her free hand and gripped his shirt firmly.

"The attack? Well, we don't know much about the attack. If you want to know, you'll have to ask him over there." Nick pointed to the side. Collective heads turned all at once.

But there was no one there.

"Excuse me, Mr…" the pig began, but he was cut short.

Because when the media turned back, Nick and Judy were already gone.

* * *

"Oh my god, Nick. You are incredible!" Judy giggled, not sure whether it was the medicine or the situation that was making her feel tipsy. She was being carried in Nick's arms like he had swept her off her feet.

In fact, he had. Nick's split-second reflexes had allowed them a quick escape. He had scooped her up like a baby and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction, leaving the crowd behind.

"Huff…huff…I normally don't have to carry a passenger when I run this fast. You should lay back on the carrots, Carrots."

Judy looked over his shoulder.

"I think you can stop running now, Nick. I don't hear any people chasing us. She placed her hands on his chest, as if to slow him down. It worked; she could feel him slowing from a run to a jog, until he finally stopped.

They both looked at each other, Nick panting. Almost simultaneously, they both broke out into a smile, and then heartfelt laughter.

"So that's how you did it, huh?" Judy finally said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Years of practice, Fluff. You learn how to get away from people who realised you hustled them."

"Did you ever get caught?"

"When I first started the business, yes." Nick began walking again, still cradling Judy in his arms.

"What happened?"

"Let's just say the fur on my tail isn't my first coat. So, where are we going?"

Judy had to stifle a laugh. She did wonder in the back of her head what Nick's fluffy tail would look like without fur. It was probably hilarious.

"The Grand Pangolin Apartments. It's a few streets away, behind Orchard Plaza."

"Orchard Plaza? I know a good salad bar around there. What would you say to some takeaway at your place?"

"It sounds great. But Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"I think you can put me down now."

"Of course not. What would I do if you fell over again?" he said, without missing a beat.

"I won't, Nick. But thanks for the concern." She playfully punched his chest. Taking a quick glance at her pocket, she heaved a sigh of relief inwardly; the contents were still there.

 _Now I just need to hide it from Nick until after dinner._

"Well, if you insist," Nick said, slowly lowering the bunny to the ground.

If Judy didn't know any better, she would have said Nick looked disappointed to let her down.


	2. A True Friend

**A/N:** A moment to breathe helps to remember important things forgotten.

Thanks to BeecroftA, Mad-Racer, side-fish, Goldyx, and daphrose for reviewing!

Plenty of things can happen in this story. If you wish to offer a suggestion or what you wish to see, leave a review or a PM. I'd love to hear from you!

* * *

 **Chapter 2: A True Friend**

"This…is your place?"

The two were walking through the front doors of the Grand Pangolin Apartments, Nick carrying a paper bag containing their dinner in one hand, while helping Judy along with the other. Nick eyed the walls and floor of the place as they headed straight over to the front desk.

"Well, this was where I stayed when I first came to Zootopia. It's small, but quaint." Judy said, ringing the bell for the front desk.

"I don't really see what's 'grand' about it. Or which part resembles 'apartments', for that matter."

"Shh, Nick. Not so loud, or someone might—"

"Can I help you?" A raspy voice rang out from behind the front desk. An armadillo was glaring back at Nick. Judy almost jumped a foot in the air, but held herself back, for the sake of her leg. _How did she get there so fast?_

Judy swallowed, forcing a smile. "Good evening, ma'am. I'm the rabbit who was staying in room 203."

"Yes, I remember." The armadillo squinted her eyes, moving her spectacles up the bridge of her nose. "You said you were going to leave, weren't you? I remember now; you told me to rent out your room if you didn't come back by the end of this month."

"That's right. Well, things kinda happened, and I…well, I've decided to stay on."

The armadillo looked at Judy with what could only be described as a look of disdain. She reached under the desk, and stood back upright, holding out a familiar looking key.

"Don't lose it. And I'll be coming by to collect rent in two weeks." Without another word, she turned around and disappeared into the room in the back.

"So, the 'pangolin' part doesn't make sense either. So that's zero out of three." Nick said, smirking.

"Come on, let's just get in. Let's just hope my neighbours aren't around."

A few minutes later, they were inside Judy's apartment. Thankfully, the place was exactly how she had left it on the day she left Zootopia to head back to Bunnyburrow. Her bed was still neatly made, with a couple of old hangers she had left behind hanging on the single chair. The walls were still greasy, and the first floorboard next to the door was still squeaky.

"You weren't kidding when you said it was 'quaint', Carrots." Nick walked forward, setting the food down on the table.

"Sorry about the small space. I didn't expect anyone to come here for a long time…"

"It's not an issue, relax." He sat down on the only chair in the room, taking the food out. "Here, you must be starving." She was. She gratefully took the cutlery from Nick and sat down on her bed, and both of them began to eat in the small, dark apartment.

Dinner was eaten in surprising silence. She kept waiting for the shouting match to begin, but it never did. Her noisy neighbours weren't actually home.

 _Or maybe they are being quiet for a change._

She thought about it.

 _Nah._

The silence was completely welcome, though. Only soft chewing sounds were heard between the two, with the occasional squeak of the floorboards above. As Nick had promised, her dinner was delicious. He was leaning back on her chair, legs extended and crossed, while polishing off the last of his fruit salad.

"I didn't know you liked salads, Nick," Judy finally spoke up.

"Hey, I love my bug burgers and fries as much as the next fox. But I love fruits, especially blueberries. But I guess you already know that." He smiled. He got up to adjust his chair, but before he could sit down again, he felt Judy's paw on his arm. He turned to face her. She patted the spot on the bed next to her.

"It's softer."

"Alright then, if you insist." He sat down with his empty salad bowl beside her. "So what do you think of the food, Carrots? I bet you'll agree it doesn't compare to your home-grown stuff."

"No, but it's a lot better than eating microwaved dehydrated carrots…Thanks for buying dinner, Nick."

"It's no problem, Carrots. You can always pay me back in blueberries." Nick reached into Judy's bowl and plucked out a single blueberry, popping it into his mouth. "Mm, tasty."

Judy looked down at what remained of her own salad. She was almost done as well; a single blueberry was left nestled under a leaf. She picked it up and held it in front of her, looking it over.

"Blueberries…" she whispered.

"What was that?" Nick asked.

"Back there at the museum…" she started, looking up straight at him now. "If you hadn't brought those blueberries with you, we would never have duped Bellwether into thinking you had gone savage."

"Thank your family for growing such delicious blueberries then. Oh, I could really go for some of those right now," he said, almost looking like he was going to salivate.

"That wasn't just luck. You're the one who came up with the whole idea to replace the serum with the blueberries. You saved me, Nick."

"Well, the serum was the same size and colour as the blueberries, so…you know…" he mumbled softly.

"You stayed with me instead of saving yourself. It wasn't just this time, too. You could have gotten away on the sky tram, but you didn't. You stayed."

Nick was silent now, not answering. He was looking down slightly, fingers twirling his fork around.

"I knew it, Nick. You really are so much more. You defended me from Chief Bogo when no one believed me. You could have taken the evidence and gotten to the ZPD, but you risked your life to stay with me. That was the most selfless thing I've ever seen. You're a hero, Nick. You're _my_ hero. I don't know how I could ever pay you back for this." She placed a paw on his arm.

Nick leaned back on her bed, staring at the wall. He seemed to be taking in all the words she had said, because he was still silent. When he finally opened his mouth, his voice was soft, gentle.

"You've already paid me back, Carrots. Back when we first met."

 _When we first met?_ "What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

Nick held up his hand. "Fifteen dollars for a jumbo pop."

It took a moment, but then it finally hit her. She focused on his face. He was smiling. Not his usual smirk, but a sincere smile. She rubbed her eyes, unable to stop herself from smiling with him.

"I'm pretty sure what you've done for me is worth much more than fifteen dollars."

"You're right, it's probably sixteen. It's okay, Carrots. You can pay me back next time." He winked.

Judy couldn't help but laugh. Even in such an emotionally vulnerable moment, he was still able to joke around. That's just how he was, she supposed.

"You're the best friend I've ever had, Nick. We're…still friends, right?" she asked.

Nick looked at the bunny in front of him. He held out a hand, still smiling.

"Yeah, we're still friends."

Not many things caught Nick Wilde off-guard. Years of experience and cynicism had made him a difficult one to fool. But he never expected what Judy did next. Her hand moved to meet his. He expected her to shake it earnestly, maybe sniffle a little while she was at it, wiping tears from her eyes and claiming she wasn't crying while he teased her.

But her hand moved _past_ his, and went straight around his waist. She practically lunged at him, throwing her upper body around his and wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight, affectionate hug.

Nick could only let out a breathless whimper.

His outstretched hand continued to hang in midair, frozen in shock, along with the rest of his body. Judy nuzzled her head against his chest, making him shudder slightly.

"I'm so glad I got to know you, Nick. I'm glad I walked into that ice-cream shop and bought you that jumbo pop." She continued pressing against his chest, eyes closed. Nick's breathing was growing heavy. The little bunny was in a very intimate position; his nose was overwhelmed with a sudden rush of her scent. She was stirring something deep inside him. Feelings he had suppressed for years were now erupting to the surface.

"Thank you, Nick. For everything."

It was getting too much to bear.

"Carrots…you're welcome."

Something was rising in his throat. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He forced the feeling back down his throat, taking deep breaths through his nose. He was glad she wasn't looking up at his face.

Ever so slowly, he moved his arms around her body, gently petting her back and lowering his chin on her head. Her fur tickled his lightly, bringing back memories of a similar hug earlier in the day. He didn't say anything this time though, instead letting the moment pass in a knowing silence.

In that moment, Nicholas Wilde was content.

But as he knew all too well, good things didn't last forever, and soon Judy broke the hug that connected them both. She suddenly seemed a little flustered, a little hesitant. But she looked happy. And seeing her that way made him happy as well. He looked down at Judy's leg, which was still neatly wrapped in bandages.

"Hey, Carrots, I've got an idea. How about I buy breakfast for us tomorrow? We can have it here, and then I'll bring you around Zootopia on a tour. I bet you haven't actually seen much since you came here, since you're a complete workaholic. How does that sound?"

He could almost see the bunny's eyes light up like Christmas lights.

"Nick, that sounds great! But, uh, I don't think I'll be able to walk by tomorrow…"

"Leave that to me. I know some people." He pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts list. "Okay, it's still not too late. I'll go first, Carrots. I'll settle the stuff by tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow morning."

With that, Nick got up, smiling at Judy before heading towards the door. As his paw grasped the doorknob, he heard Judy get off the bed, leaning on her good leg.

"Nick!"

The fox froze. He turned halfway, looking back at her.

"Yeah?"

He saw her bite her lip. She was thinking of saying something, but something was holding her back. He tried his best to maintain his expression, keeping his breathing rate steady.

"…no. It's nothing, Nick," she finally said. Her usual cheerful expression returned to her face. "See you tomorrow!"

Nick managed a smile back as he pulled open her apartment door. He took one last look at the rabbit standing in the room, before he shut the door quietly behind him. The moment he did, he marched briskly out of the building and turned the corner, slipping his hands into his pockets and keeping his head low.

The night was cool and windy—Nick definitely felt Savannah Central had the best weather of the different districts. As he made his way back to the bridge that he stayed under, he found himself in deep thought. Memories were playing in his head like a broken record, again and again and again.

" _I learnt two things that day. One, I was never going to let anyone see that they got to me."_

" _And…two?"_

" _If the world's only going to see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in trying to be anything else."_

" _Nick, you're so much more than that."_

He didn't believe it at the time. Or maybe he did, all this while, in a deep part inside of him. She was the only one. The only one who believed that he could have been more than just a sly fox. That was why it hurt so much after that press conference. If it were anyone else, he would have never spoken to them again after that.

But he had forgiven her.

He shouldn't have, seeing how badly she'd ruined their friendship. It had hurt a lot, too. More so than anything else anyone had said to him for a long time. And yet, after seeing her heartfelt breakdown under the bridge, the way she cried and apologised…it was the most honest, sincere thing anyone had ever said to him. She didn't try to defend her actions in the slightest, instead looking for a way to redeem herself. After all that she'd said, there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to forgive her. And when he did, he felt an unexplainable rush of joy through his chest. No, it wasn't unexplainable. He was happy that he had his friend back.

" _You're a hero, Nick. You're my hero."_

He looked down at his arm. He imagined her paw there, like on the sky tram, and just a while ago. Even though he tried his hardest not to, he liked it. And that hug, that nuzzle, had been the straw that broke the camel's back. It wasn't like the one earlier that day, under the bridge. This time, the hug was closer, more intimate, more caring. No one had ever hugged him like that ever since his mom did, many years ago. The little bunny reminded him so much of her. Always believing in him, telling him to never give up.

" _I knew it. You really are so much more, Nick."_ Judy's voice whispered in his head.

Nick clutched his chest, breathing growing heavier again.

" _You are the best friend I've ever had."_

His mouth crept up into a smile. A real, genuine one.

" _Thank you, Nick. For everything."_

Not many things got to Nicholas Wilde. He'd trained himself to be cold, detached, to treat the world as if it was out to get him, ever since that night with the Junior Ranger Scouts. He'd always been able to control his emotions, but he struggled to do it now. He couldn't stop thinking of her words, her voice. No one had ever made him feel this way, or cared for him like this. He felt something welling up deep inside him.

 _Heh. You got to me, Carrots. You got to me good…_

In the quiet darkness where he knew no one would see him, he felt a single drop run down his face. He wiped it away with a hand, realising that they were tears. Just like that night with the Junior Ranger Scouts.

This time though, the tears were tears of joy.

He finally had a true friend.

* * *

 _Nick…_

Judy stood quietly in her room, leaning on her good leg. She relaxed her hands, not realising that they were clenched tightly, and sighed.

 _I should have asked him._

Her eyes fell to the table in front of her. More specifically, the drawer under the table. Nervously leaning forward, she grabbed the handle and gently pulled it open, hoping that the landlady hadn't cleared out its contents. When she had quit her job at the ZPD, packed her bags and left Zootopia, she had decided to leave her memories of her time in the big city in that drawer.

And that included a small folded piece of paper.

Thankfully, everything was still there. The landlady had apparently kept to her word of not touching her room until the end of the month. Inside the drawer lay an assortment of items. An old field manual from her academy days, some old pieces of paper she'd written on while solving the Night howler case, a bottle of fox repellent…Pushing aside the papers, she saw what she was looking for. The yellow edges of the folded paper were instantly recognisable against the white of the others. She pulled the piece of paper out and unfolded it, hoping that it was what she hoped it was.

ZPD EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION FORM  
APPLICANT NAME: Nicholas Wilde P.

Everything was there. All written in his neat handwriting. She looked all the filled blanks over, committing them to memory. Just in case she lost the paper and had to refill it for him.

 _I should have asked him…_ she thought to herself. _I had so much time to ask him over dinner, but I didn't._

Nick had already forgiven her, and he had already said they were still friends, but she still couldn't find it in herself to ask. If everything was all good and well between them, then he should say yes, right?

 _But…what if he says 'no'?_

The thought sent shivers straight up Judy's spine. The chance was small, but it was there. There was a possibility that Nick would say no. What would she do then?

She shook her head, trying to push out the negative thoughts. Nick offered to be her personal helper for the next few days while she recovered! She didn't have a reason to doubt his sincerity. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself.

 _I'll ask him tomorrow._

But not before doing him a big favour to thank him for his help.

 _Okay, Judy, think. What can you do for him? What would he appreciate?_

She didn't think he'd appreciate a soft toy or a plushie. No, he'd probably just tease her about it. Money was out of the question, too. She didn't have much, plus the guy probably made more than she could as a rookie cop.

" _A rookie cop who got fired…"_

"I didn't get fired! I quit!" she yelled at the wall. The wall did not reply.

She blinked, groaning. It was almost like Nick was filling in the spaces in her thoughts. She wracked her brain, going through a list of things that she could surprise him with.

"Mmph." She habitually began thumping her right foot against the ground.

"OWWWW!" the pain shot right up her right leg, making her jump a foot into the air, before she landed in a crumpled heap on the ground next to her bed.

"Bad idea bad idea…" she groaned.

" _How do you even forget you're injured, Carrots?"_ his voice echoed in her head.

"Shut up, Nick."

"Hey, keep it down up there!" A loud voice accompanied some angry poking at the floor right below her.

"Sorry…" she whispered apologetically down the floorboards, slowly picking herself up and pulling herself back onto her bed. She looked around, half expecting Nick to be there, looking at her with his trademark smirk and making a wry comment. But he wasn't. She was alone in her small apartment.

"Dumb fox…" she muttered to herself. How hard could it possibly have been to think of a thank-you gift for him?

" _It's no problem, Carrots. You can always pay me back in blueberries."_

Something clicked in her head.

 _Blueberries._

She clapped her hands together. Of course! Blueberries! Nick loved blueberries! She berated herself for not figuring it out earlier. And she knew just the person to ask for a blueberry related favour.

"I never thought I'd be saying his name so soon…" she said to herself. _Gideon Grey…_

She pulled out her phone, but as she held it in front of her face, a thought occurred to her, somewhat belatedly.

 _I don't have his number._

The second thing that occurred to her was staring at her directly from the phone screen.

MISSED CALLS: 37

She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, knowing who the calls were from. It had completely slipped her mind since her phone was on silent. She winced, bracing herself for what she was about to see.

 _Mom…dad…mom…mom…dad…aaaand I'm dead._ She groaned. _Of course they would have tried to call me! I just grabbed their truck and drove off without explaining anything earlier…_

She bit her lip. The clock on the screen showed the time: 10:19 p.m. It wasn't too late to call them, but she was not looking forward to doing so. They would have a lot of questions, and she'd have to answer them.

But she owed them that much, at least.

Bracing for the worst, she tapped in the speed dial for home on MuzzleTime, pressed the button, and waited. The phone began ringing. The droning was almost therapeutic at this point, after what she'd been through today.

Three rings…four rings…still no answer. She shifted on her bed to get more comfortable. Something poked out of her right pocket. Looking down, she realised just what it was. Reaching in with a hand, she pulled out a familiar red handkerchief. The blood on it had already dried by now, and in the dim light, it was hard to see that it was soaked with blood at all. She had completely forgotten about it, after what happened over dinner.

" _It was my favourite handkerchief too…"_

He probably thought she hadn't heard while they were in Bogo's car, but she had. It was only a split second, but she'd seen the look on his face when he said it. He cared about this little thing. Deeply. She had requested that the doctors not throw it away with the bloodied portion of her jeans. After a cursory wash, Doctor Morlez had given it back to her, although the stains still remained.

 _Maybe he thought they threw it away._ But this was a good opportunity for her. _I'll wash the stains off, and then I'll surprise him with it._ She grinned, thinking of the shocked face he would have when he saw it. It would go well with the surprise she had planned for him. She did wonder what the story behind the handkerchief was though. There was an elaborate pattern woven into the red fabric, still visible—barely—under the red stains. She squinted, bringing her face close to the handkerchief to get a closer look.

"Judy!"

"AHH!" she yelped, tossing her phone into the air. She fumbled around, managing to catch it in her hands before she dropped it.

"M-mom?"

"Oh my gosh, Stu! It's Judy! Judy's on the line!"

Judy quickly righted the phone as her father came into the picture, pressing up tightly against her mother, as they fought over who got camera time. He began speaking even before they stabilised their end of the camera.

"Judy! You're safe! Oh sweet lord I was so worried…" she heard her father choking back on his words.

"Stu, Stu, it's okay. Judy's alright. She's alright. You are alright, aren't you, dear?" her mother said, trying to angle the phone, as if doing so would let her get a better look at her daughter.

"Y-yes, mom. I'm fine. I'm sorry I didn't pick up my phone earlier. It was on silent."

"Where are you now?"

"Back in my apartment in Zootopia. It's late and I can't drive home, so I'll be spending the night here."

"Zootopia?" They both exchange glances. "What happened, Jude? You just suddenly drove off with the truck without telling us what was going on. Why can't you come home?" Her father said, finding his voice once again.

"It's a long story, dad."

"Could you tell us?" He asked. Both parents were staring her down now worriedly.

Judy took a deep breath. _Okay, just let them in on it gently._

"Well, remember the whole Night howler problem I was trying to solve in Zootopia? The whole 'predators going savage' thing? Thanks to you two, I figured out what it was. It was the toxic flowers you use to keep the bugs out. Someone was taking concentrated extracts of the Night howlers and darting predators to make them go savage. I had to go back to solve the case."

There was a moment's pause. Stu went out of the picture, only to reappear a moment later.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" Stu held up a bright phone screen to the camera. Judy squinted.

"Mayor Bellwether arrested after being connected with the savage…wait, it's news already?!"

"See? I told you, hon! I knew Judy had something to do with all these big incidents!"

"Judy! Are…are you okay?" her mom asked, her brow furrowing. "Did something happen to you?"

Judy gulped.

"Yeah, I kinda got involved in the incident. I injured my leg, so I can't drive the truck back for a while. I'll have to wait till my leg hea—"

"You got injured?! How? When? Where? Why?" Both parents yelled in tandem, making Judy wince. Even though it was a video call, she could feel her parents' overprotectiveness breathing down her neck.

"It's nothing…I just tripped while running. I already went to the doctor and got stitches. He said it'll be a few weeks before it recovers."

"Stitches?! Judy, how bad is the injury? Show us!" Stu demanded.

They might as well have been down her throat at that point. "Yeah, okay. Gimme a sec. I'll point the camera at it now."

She turned her camera over and pointed it at her bandaged leg.

"Oh, that doesn't look so baduuuuuaghhh…" Her father's voice trailed off, followed by a loud thump.

"Dad fainted, didn't he?" Judy deadpanned, turning the phone over.

"Hey everyone! Daddy's on the ground!" A high-pitched squeak came through the speakers.

"Wheeeeee!" Judy heard the loud thumps of what could only be her younger siblings bounding across the room and piling on their father.

"Kids, don't squish your father." Bonnie's voice cut through the air.

"Aww…"

Bonnie's face returned to the screen.

"Your dad will be fine. We're more concerned about you, Judy. The injury looks quite bad…"

"It'll be okay. I've been through worse."

"…so we're going to be over tomorrow morning to bring you home."

"Oh, that sounds great…wait, what?"

"Yes, we'll take the train to get to you, then we'll take the truck to bring you back home. That sounds like a plan. Let's see, I think there's an early train at seven…"

"Mom, it's okay! I'm…I'm not going home. I want to stay. In Zootopia."

Bonnie blinked, taken aback. Judy's ears drooped. She had been dreading this part. This was going to be hard to explain to them.

Her mom seemed deep in thought. Finally, she spoke up.

"Did you get a boyfriend, Judy?"

Never had the heat rushed so fast to Judy's ears. Her droopy ears stood up straight in a second, while her eyes widened in disbelief. She clenched her hands tightly around the phone.

"No I didn't!"

"It's okay if you did, dear. Your father and I won't be mad at you. It's about time you found one and settl—"

"Mom. I do _not_ have a boyfriend, alright?" Judy said slowly, emphasising each word.

"Alright, honey. But you should get one sometime. You're already twenty-four, for goodness sake. By that age, your father and I—"

"Yes, yes I know!" Judy quickly cut her off. She had no desire to hear that story again. "I'll think about it, mom." _In a million years, maybe._

"But you sound a lot better. I hope everything is okay with you."

She scratched her chin awkwardly.

"Yes. Sorry for being upset earlier today, mom. Thanks for picking me up. I needed it."

"That's what parents are for, sweetie. I'm just glad that you're happy again. Me and your dad will still be there tomorrow morning."

"You really don't have to. You've both done enough for me already."

"Well, what are you going to wear tomorrow, then?"

Judy winced. Her mother had a point. She basically only had the clothes on her back as it stood. She had nothing else with her other than her wallet and phone, and the keys to the family truck.

"Well that settles it then," Bonnie said triumphantly. "I'll pack all your stuff for you then. Let's see, clothes, your soft toys…oh, this is so exciting! Stu, wake up! We're going to Zootopia tomorrow to see Judy!"

"Huh, what? We are? Whoo hoo!" his voice echoed through the phone.

Judy couldn't help but smile. It seemed like her parents were looking for any excuse to come visit her. Not that she didn't appreciate it.

"Mom?"

"Oh, yes, sweetie?"

"I'd like to ask a favour. You work with Gideon Grey now, right? Do you think you could give me his number?"

"Gideon? Oh, sure I can. What do you need his number for?"

Before Judy could respond, there was a loud crash on the other end. She heard an exasperated sigh from her mother, which she knew could only mean one thing.

"They broke the vase again, didn't they?"

"It wasn't me!" A chorus of squeaky voices called out.

"Heh, I miss them already," Judy said, a little wistfully.

"They miss you too. Especially little Kyra. She was sad you didn't say goodbye today when you left. Quite a few of them are." Her mother replied.

Now she felt bad. "Thanks for the guilt trip, mom."

"You're welcome, dear. I'll send you the number in a message. Don't get your stitches wet, alright? And elevate your leg when you sleep. See you tomorrow. Judy!"

"Bye, mom." She gave a little wave before the call dropped. She heaved a sigh of relief. _That went better than expected._ In truth, she was really glad that they were coming. Now she just had to contact Gideon, ask him whether he could deliver some blueberry pies to her house, and then everything would be good.

She flopped back onto her head, exhausted. She wasn't sure if it was the day's events, or the medicine that was making her so. Maybe it was both. Whatever it was, she was glad the day was over. The rickety bed felt like a soft cloud at that point, and the moment she was lying on her back, she found her eyes struggling to stay open. Sleep was probably a good idea right about now.

 _Okay, tomorrow mom and dad will be here in the morning. Nick will also be here for breakfast. Then I'll ask him about joining the Z—_

Her eyes shot open.

 _Nick and my parents are going to be here at the same time tomorrow._

A chill ran down her spine.

 _Nick is going to meet my parents._


	3. Floof

**A/N:** Fox meets bunny parents. Embarrassment ensues.

Thanks to luxaurorae, side-fish, Kochich, randomkungfupandafan, BeecroftA, savisawesome2004, Niori, Goldyx, Guest, Pim, Guest (again), and Finnick for reviewing!

Evergreen has cover art! Done by the incredibly talented Kochich, the picture represents the most important items in this story, and it might just give you a hint of what is to come. The full picture, in all its glory, can be found in my profile.

Do give Kochich your feedback! Some of the future chapters will be illustrated as well, during important moments.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Floof**

After the events that happened at the museum and the hospital, sleep had never been as welcome to Judy. She slept like a log, getting the best sleep she'd gotten in a long time.

At least, that was what Judy would've liked to say. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, because the moment the clock struck one in the morning, she was rudely awoken by a 'pleasant' pair of voices.

"It wasn't me!"

"Of course it was! There's no other person in this room!"

Her bloodshot eyes shot open, hands grasping around her bedside instinctively, but they found nothing. It took a moment before she realised it: her ear buds were back in Bunnyburrow. She had nothing to plug up her ears tonight.

 _Argh…on the night I needed sleep…_

It had been bearable for the first month or so, but the constant noise from her horned neighbours had become grating to Judy after that. Her troubles on the job didn't make it easier. Being given social commentary on her problems didn't help either.

The big ears definitely didn't help.

She smothered her face with her pillow, trying to drown out the racket. They were arguing over who was responsible for paying for groceries. The conversation then shifted to who was at fault for losing the money for the groceries. She took some comfort in the fact that they weren't discussing more intimate things.

She finally managed to find a position that squeezed her ears close enough to her head that the noise became a muffled throb. Sighing, she tried to force herself back to sleep. She wasn't sure if the arguing stopped or her mind managed to drown out the noise, but she managed to drift back off.

Knock.

Judy stirred. The knocking sounded heavenly compared to what she had been subjected to last night. It was rhythmic, almost soothing. She began to drift off again.

"…ello?"

The sound of words forced her to crack open her tired eyes. She groaned, rubbing them with a hand. Her large ears flopped open, feeling cramped from being pressed up against her head. As the world came back into focus, she rolled onto her back, feeling a throbbing in the side of her head. At least it was quiet.

Except for the knocking.

It took her a while to collect her thoughts, but when she did, she quickly bolted upright.

 _That's right! My parents! They're supposed to be coming! What time is it?!_

She glanced at her bedside clock. It was already 10.16 a.m. It was so late! She quickly pushed herself off the bed, but as she did, she felt a sharp lance of pain shoot through her leg.

"Ngh!" she groaned, biting her lip. The worst thing she could do now was to scream in pain. Her parents would never let that one go. They'd probably carry her all the way back to Bunnyburrow if they had to.

The knocking was growing louder. Holding the wall for support, Judy hobbled over to the door. "Coming! Coming! Hang on a sec!"

She reached the door, quickly smoothing out her shirt and jeans, before yanking the door open with a forced smile across her face while she called out: "Mom! Dad…!"

The red fox standing in front of her looked plenty amused.

"Aww, does baby bunny miss mommy and daddy? Don't worry, Uncle Nick is here."

Judy stared, gaping.

"…I brought bagels." Nick said, holding up a brown paper bag. "And coffee. I don't suppose you have plates, do you?" he casually pushed his way past the bewildered bunny and stepped into her apartment.

"Nick! What are you…why are you…never mind. Listen to me. I need you to leave for a while, okay? I don't have time to explain." She hobbled in after him, the door shutting behind her.

"Leave? Why?" he asked, placing the paper bags on the table.

Judy pinched the bridge of her nose. "I just said I don't have time to…argh! Please, Nick. I have some guests coming over, and…" she grabbed his arm and began dragging him over to the door.

"Woah woah woah, Carrots. Slow down. What could be so important that I can't be around?" Nick planted himself firmly onto the ground as Judy yanked open the door.

"Judy!" Her mom and dad stood right outside, arms outstretched.

"…and they're…here. It's my parents! Ah…ha ha ha…" her ears dropped immediately. "Hi mom and dad!" She tried to pretend Nick wasn't there, but it was difficult to hide him when he was a good deal bigger than her.

"Hi, Jude! How's it going?" Stu asked. He was lugging three bags of luggage behind him. "Uh…is that…?"

"Oh, it's all good, dad! Just, hang on a moment. I need to settle something." She quickly shut the door in their face. She then turned around and began pushing Nick to the side of her bed. She briefly considered throwing him out the window, but it was probably a bad idea.

"Nick, get under the bed."

"What?"

"Just stay there until my parents are gone, okay?" she grabbed him forcefully and pushed him down onto his belly, trying to squeeze him into the drawers under the bed. "Be still and don't say a word. It'll be a lot better for everyone if you don't meet—"

"Judith Laverne Hopps! What in the world are you doing?"

She froze, slowly turning her head to the door. Her parents had let themselves in, apparently. Her mom's arms were on her hips. And Nick's rear end was still poking out from under the bed, including his bushy tail. He quickly stuck his head out, looking at her with wide eyes.

 _Please don't have heard that please don't have heard that…_

"Judith…"

"No, you didn't hear—"

"Laverne…"

"Nick, it's not—"

"Hopps?" He was grinning from ear to ear.

Judy could feel the walls crumbling around her. _Today's going to be a very, very bad day._

* * *

"Judy, how's your leg?"

"It's fine." Judy grumbled back, sulking. She was sitting with her parents on her bed, while Nick sat on the single chair.

"Uhh…were you going to introduce us to your friend here? You didn't seem happy for us to meet him."

"Oh, she's just afraid I'd try to sell you something." Nick said, chuckling. Judy did not share his mirth.

"Wilde. Nick Wilde. You must be Judy's parents. It's a pleasure to meet both of you." He extended a hand, which both of them shook.

It was a nightmare come true. Her fox-phobic parents meeting a fox who was exactly like what they thought foxes were like. It was like putting oil in a fire. She knew her parents were getting better with their prejudice issues, but they had never met Nick. Nothing good could possibly come from both parties meeting.

 _At least he didn't call me 'Carrots'._ That would have probably burned bridges before they even formed.

"You're the fox we saw on TV! Isn't that right, Bon?"

"Oh yes! You were with Judy. It was in the news this morning. How do the two of you know each other?"

Both Nick and Judy glanced at each other simultaneously. Nick was the first to speak, turning back to Judy's parents.

"Well, I was minding my own business as a simple salesman a few months ago when your daughter found me." Nick offered. "I was caught up in her investigation of the Night Howler case, and I helped her solve it. Oh, and I did save her life. Twice." He glanced over at Judy, smirking.

"Twice? What was the first time? If anything I saved your butt more."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! From Mr Manchas, then at the lab, and…"

"You did?! Judy, is that true? You didn't tell us anything about that." Bonnie interrupted.

"You didn't tell us about Nick at all." Stu said, sounding a little hurt.

Judy froze. _Oops._ She winced internally. Ever since the press conference, she had been keeping to herself, only giving her parents the bare details. She'd left Nick out of it, not wanting to bring him up to her after what she'd done to him.

"Mmph…yes, it's true. Nick helped me a lot during the investigation. We didn't get along at first, and there were some…issues. That's why I didn't tell you about him. But we're friends now." She said, giving Nick a glance.

"Good friends. In fact, I'm the one that brought her home last night after she was discharged from the hospital. I offered to help her out till her leg recovers."

"Oh my. That's so kind of you, Nick!" Bonnie said, touching her chest. "Thank you so much for helping Judy. We were so worried when we heard she got injured. It's nice to see that she has a good friend to help her out." She immediately nudged Stu and whispered in his ear. "Stu, you'd better hide the care package."

Stu nodded slowly, smiling.

 _Oh sweet cheese and crackers._ Judy pinched her forehead, groaning. _They brought the fox taser?!_

"Judy, are you feeling okay?" Bonnie asked, looking worriedly at her daughter. "Is it your leg? Are you in pain?"

 _Yes, mom. I am in a lot of pain._ "I'm fine, mom. I just need to take my meds…"

"Well then you need to eat something first, sweetie."

"Well, I did buy her a bagel and coffee. And I'm not really hungry, so this is for you, Mr and Mrs Hopps." Nick held out his own bagel and coffee to them. "Why don't you tell me more about yourselves? Is it your first time here in Zootopia?"

"Aw shucks, Nick, that's awfully kind of you." Stu said, taking the bagel and coffee from Nick. "Yes, it is our first time in the big city. It's really quite something else altogether."

"Much different from where we're from." Bonnie added, sipping the coffee that Stu passed to her.

"Bunnyburrow, isn't it? Judy told me about it. Also, your blueberries are absolutely delicious. Better than anything I've tasted here in the big city." He paused. "Are you moving in?

"Oh, heavens no. I don't think we could live in a big city like this. It's way too…big for us. Why do you ask?" Bonnie replied.

"You looked like you were moving in, with all that luggage you're carrying. What's in it, then?" Nick said, pointing to the bags in the corner.

"Oh, that's Judy's stuff," Stu replied, taking a bite from the bagel. "There were two of us travelling now, so we could bring more things that Judy couldn't fit the first time."

"Wait, what things?" Judy asked.

"Oh, you know, all the stuff you asked us to bring. And stuff you'll need." He replied, opening the bag before she could stop him. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

 _Oh no._

Oh, there they are! I bet you missed them, didn't you, Jude?" he pulled out a few well-worn and well snuggled stuffed rabbits.

 _No no no no no—_

"Stuffed rabbits?" Nick asked.

"Oh yeah, she's been sleeping with them ever since she was small. They go everywhere with her."

"Did she give them names?" Nick asked, still grinning.

"Oh yes, this one is Floof, that one is Floofier, that one is Mr Bucky…"

Judy was mortified. No, mortified would probably have been an understatement.

"Dad!"

"Aw, come on, Jude. He's your friend, isn't he? Saved your life, too. I'm sure he can know about all these things. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Isn't that right, Nick?"

"Absolutely. One hundred percent." Nick replied. "You said that one was Floofier, right?"

 _Kill me. Kill me now._ Judy buried her head in her paws.

"I'm guessing Jude is your pet name for Judy?" he continued.

"Oh yes. She's my little Jude the dude. I call her that because she's always been a little fighter, ever since she was small. She'd never let anyone stop her from doing what she dreamed. She'd take on bunnies twice her size, even."

"As much as we told her not to…" Bonnie added.

"So she's been that headstrong since she was small, huh?" Nick asked.

"Yup. Remember when she was a baby?" Bonnie giggled, nudging Stu.

"Oh yeah! Jude hated wearing clothes. She'd run out of the bath completely naked, yelling "Freedommmmm!" Stu made a big show of it.

"Then maybe you should have called her Jude the nu—oof!"

A swift punch from Judy quickly silenced Nick before he could finish his sentence. Her cheeks and ears were burning with embarrassment.

"Okay guys, it's been great. Thanks for bringing everything over, but it's a long drive home and I'm sure you're both needed on the farm." Judy said, standing up pushing her parents towards the door.

"Oh, we're not really in a rush, Jude. We came all the way here to see you. We were hoping we could sit down with you, talk with you a little."

"You said it was your first time in Zootopia, right?" Nick interrupted, standing up.

Both parents nodded.

"Well, I was actually going to bring Judy around Savannah Central today. If you'd like, we could all go together."

Judy turned, mouthing a silent "No!" at Nick. He was completely unfazed, seeming to enjoy the whole situation.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Bonnie said, clapping her hands together.

"I have a friend who's coming to bring us around today. He'll supposed to be here in about five minutes. You're okay with that, right, Judy?" He said, addressing her by her real name for once in his life.

 _Mmph…I can't really say no at this point._ It was starting to look like an unsalvageable situation anyway.

"Yeah…that's just great."

"Fantastic. Why don't we let Judy get ready?" Nick said, opening the door for her parents, giving her a sly wink behind their back.

"Of course. We'll wait for you outside, Judy," Bonnie said, heading to the door. "Just call us when you need help getting downstairs."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that, mom. My leg's good enough to walk. Just go downstairs with Nick. I'll see you there in a few minutes."

"All right then. See you downstairs, Jude!" Stu said, as he and Bonnie left the room with Nick.

Judy was alone now. She limped back over to her bed, flopping down onto it, feeling quite exhausted, even though she had only been awake for an hour. She sighed.

"Well, at least it can't get much worse."

 _Oh wait, yes it can._

Reaching into the second suitcase, she pulled out a fresh change of clothes. She would have loved a bath, but it just seemed too troublesome to clean herself while trying to keep her bandages dry. She settled for rubbing herself down with some wet wipes and then drying herself. She slipped on a t-shirt and a new pair of jeans—the latter with some difficulty—before sitting back down on her bed. As she folded her old, dirty clothes, she heard the crinkle of paper.

She quickly unfolded her old pair of jeans and reached into the pant pocket, pulling out Nick's application form. It was a little crumpled, but still legible.

 _I probably should wait till mom and dad go home before I ask him,_ she thought, slipping the application form into her new pocket. She didn't want them probing into what he really did for a living. Hustler and conman probably wouldn't have gone down well with them.

She stood up and walked over to her desk drawer, opening it. Nick's red handkerchief was still there, neatly folded. She hadn't had time to wash the blood out, having woken up so late. Giving the handkerchief back to him would have to wait.

As she pushed all the bags to a corner, something small fell out of the third case. She picked it up, surprised to see what it was.

 _Huh. That could be useful._ She slipped it into her other pocket. She looked around, satisfied.

 _I just hope they aren't telling him more embarrassing things about me._

* * *

"…Judy likes hugs?"

"Oh yes. She's a real snugglebug. We have over three hundred children, and Judy is one of the more affectionate ones. She's real popular with her younger siblings because of that. You could be out working in the fields, and she'd just run up and hug you." Stu chuckled, stepping out the front door of the building.

 _That explains a lot…_ Nick thought. _A whole lot._ He had to resist smirking. This was incredible. This information was ridiculously juicy; he couldn't believe Judy's parents had walked straight into him, and were handing him information—intimate information— on a silver platter. He would be teasing Judy for months.

Not that her parents needed to know about that.

"It's really amazing. You can't see the sky with all these tall buildings!" Bonnie remarked.

"Did you see the big palm tree building in Sahara Square on your way in? It's the tallest building in all of Zootopia." Nick said, looking at his phone. No notifications.

 _Where is he? He was supposed to have been here by now…_

"He's not here…maybe he parked around the corner. I'll go check," Nick said, tucking the phone into his pocket. He began walking.

The moment he was out of earshot, Bonnie turned to her husband and whispered into his ear,

"So what do you think, Stu?"

"He seems like a nice fox. Kinda like Gideon, actually. Still seems a little shifty, but if Judy trusts him, then we should too. Also he saved Judy, even if she didn't tell us…"

"You think she's keeping something from us?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm not sure, Bon. I'm not sure…" Stu trailed off, looking behind Bonnie. From the other corner, a small brown fennec fox walked into view, looking around while scratching his head. Stu and Bonnie watched him as he walked in their direction, still looking around.

The two older rabbits exchanged glances, before walking up to him.

"Hey there, little guy. Are you lost?" Stu said, bending down slightly.

That seemed to spark something in the smaller fox. He narrowed his eyes. When he opened his mouth, a deep, booming voice shot out at the older rabbits, startling them and making them take a step back.

"Little guy? I am not lost, got it?! You call me a child again, and I'll—"

"Finnick! Hey, you're here!" Nick called out from afar, having apparently heard the outburst. He quickly rushed over to them. "Uh, these are Judy's parents. The three of them will be joining us on the trip today."

That didn't seem to placate Finnick in the slightest. He glared at the older pair of rabbits, especially Stu, before turning back to the red fox.

"What do you mean they're joining us? What trip?"

"I know, I know. It was kind of a last minute thing. The back of your van should be able to fit them, right?"

"Yeah it can, but—"

"Hey Nick! I'm here." Judy stepped out the front door, gingerly walking down the steps. "So how are we getting around Zootop…Finnick?"

"Give us a second." The fennec fox said, grabbing Nick by his shirt and dragging him around the corner, leaving three very confused bunnies behind.

"Okay, spill it. What's going on?" Finnick demanded.

"It's exactly as I told you last night, Finnick…"

"You said this was going to be a simple hustle! Easy money. So what gives?"

"Well, you'd never have showed up if I told you what I really wanted. I just want you to be a driver for us for half a day. It was only supposed to be Judy, but her parents sort of showed up. So we have to take them too."

Finnick gave Nick a look that he knew all too well.

"Right. A waste of time. I'm going to find someone who actually wants to earn money…" he began walking away.

Nick stepped in front of him, blocking his way. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulling out a small wad of cash, neatly bundled up.

"More than a day's worth of popsicles. All you have to do is drive us around town, show them the sights, and find us a nice place to have lunch. That's it. Half a day's work for more than a day's pay."

Finnick gave Nick an unreadable expression. Finally, he grabbed the cash out of his hand, and began counting it, inspecting each note as if suspecting they were counterfeit. Upon smoothing out the last note, he seemed satisfied, and tucked the dollar bills into his pocket.

"I'm not a tour agency, Nick. Why didn't you just buy one of those overpriced tour packages?"

"You just answered your own question. And you know how they feel about foxes." Nick let the last bit hang for a moment. Finnick didn't respond, averting his gaze for a moment. Nick knew the smaller fox had a pretty good idea of what he was talking about.

"Please, just do this for me. For Judy."

Finnick grunted.

"I don't believe it. Ever since you and bunny cop fell out, you've been moping around every day. Can't even hustle properly. Yesterday, I call you about her coming to look for you, and today you're bringing her around with her parents. How badly did she hustle you this time?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"She didn't hustle me. Not this time at least. I just want to repay a favour, that's all. So do we have a deal?" Nick extended his hand.

Finnick eyed it, slowly uncrossing his arms.

"Hmph…you've gone soft, Nick. Never thought you would've gone soft for a fuzz bunny. You have a soft spot for her, don't ya? Can't see why you'd go this far for her otherwise."

"It's…" For once, Nick found it hard to conjure a response. "Look, I'll give you five dollars to stop talking about it, and just be a nice quiet driver for us."

"Ten dollars. And you have to let me laugh at you later."

"That sounds like a terrible deal." Nick grumbled something inaudible to himself, pulling out another couple of notes and tossing them to the smaller fox. "Here."

"Well, I did come here for a hustle, 'slick'. Easy money, like you said." Finnick reached out and grabbed Nicks hand, shaking it. "A pleasure doing business with you."

As Nick walked back to call the others to the van, he grumbled to himself about getting hustled too many times recently.

* * *

The tour around Savannah Central was impressive, Judy had to admit. Nick did really know as much as he claimed to know. He could name buildings, streets, and people without even breaking a sweat. She did wonder in the back of her head, how long he'd known these people, and how many of them he'd hustled. In any case, her parents were thoroughly impressed with both the city and his tour.

The good news for Judy was that Nick had made no mention of any of the embarrassing stuff he had heard from her parents, not even once throughout the tour. Even Finnick was unnaturally polite, apologising to her parents for making the outburst earlier and explaining how people often mistook him for a child. He was also quite helpful in the tour, pointing out things Nick missed, or offering suggestions on food and shopping.

 _This can't be real. Someone must have kidnapped the real Nick and Finnick,_ Judy thought. She wasn't complaining at this point of time, though. Her parents were happy, they weren't freaking out from the large number of predators, and they had a good impression of Nick. That was good enough for her.

"So, Finnick, how long have you been doing this?" Bonnie asked. The three rabbits were seated in the back of Finnick's van, while both foxes sat in front.

"More than ten years. I've lost count." Finnick replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

"You live in this van?" Stu asked. It was quite clear from the makeshift bed-couch, the small lamp, and the cooler that someone had been living in the back of the van.

"Money ain't good, but there isn't much I can do about that. I do what I can to get by."

Bonnie and Stu exchanged wordless glances, deciding to let the issue rest.

They had lunch at a quaint diner near the outskirts of Savannah Central. Judy's parents were too busy taking pictures of everything—buildings, people, and food—to reveal any more embarrassing information about her. Nick had also stopped probing them, instead focusing on the tour and helping her parents take pictures, order food, and answer any and all the questions they had for him regarding the city and how it worked.

Slowly but surely, Judy began to relax. She even found herself conversing with Nick as if nothing had happened that morning.

It was around three in the afternoon when Judy finally found herself standing in front of a carpark with her parents, Nick, and Finnick. The Hopps family truck was still where she left it, untouched. She passed the key to the truck over to them, while Nick stood beside her. Finnick was still sitting in his van a short distance away.

"Well, Judy, it's time for us to go," her mother said. "I wish we could stay longer, but we need to make sure the farm is still in one piece."

"I'm sure it's fine mom. By the way…Zootopia wasn't so bad, right?" Judy asked.

"It's not as bad as we thought, I'll admit. The city is really something else, and the people were nicer than we thought."

"Well, the mayor was just arrested yesterday. People are finally starting to realise it's not the predators going savage. Hopefully things will start to get better now." Judy walked up to them, holding their hands. "When things settle down, I would like both of you to come back here, stay a few days. There's so much to the city I want you to see."

"I think we will," Stu said, smiling. "We wouldn't say no to seeing you again, Jude. I'm sure some of the kids would like to come along as well. But make sure you come to visit us…too. Oh cripes…not again." He rubbed his eyes, feeling them starting to water. Judy smiled sadly, hugging and comforting her emotional father.

"Nick, please take care of Judy," Bonnie said, as Stu tried his best to compose himself. "Judy, if there's anything you need…"

"I know, mom. Thanks." Judy went over to hug her as well. Nick quietly smirked to himself.

With one last smile, Judy's parents got into the family truck and drove off, beginning the long journey back to Bunnyburrow. Judy waved at them, feeling a slight pang of sadness at seeing them go once again.

That sadness was short lived, however, because of a certain red fox standing beside her.

"Jude the dude?" Nick said, grinning.

"Shut up, Nick."

"Aww, don't be like that. You looked like you enjoyed yourself. I know your parents sure did."

"You got them to give you information about me on purpose!"

"I didn't have to pry. They were very willing to give the info to me freely. And after hearing everything, I must say that you are absolutely adorable…Laverne." Nick laughed.

"My mom's a fan of the Andshrews sisters, okay?" Judy pushed him, groaning. "I think my parents have embarrassed me enough for a lifetime."

"Well, I promise I won't tell anyone about Floof. Or Floofier. I swear on my striped tie," Nick said, holding his hand up.

"For some reason I don't believe you." Judy rolled her eyes. She paused for a moment, before speaking up again.

"Anyway…thanks for taking care of my parents today, Nick. I was really worried that they'd stress out too much about my leg. They're also not very fond of predators, but they seem to like you a lot. I could tell they're really impressed with you."

"Well, I can't look like a disappointment to my best friend's parents, now can I? That would just be rude."

Judy looked at Nick, almost positive she misheard him.

"What did you say, Nick?"

"What? That would just be rude?"

"No, you said…I was your best friend?" Judy felt a warmth growing in her chest.

"Well, yeah. You are my best friend, Carrots. You sure you're not going deaf in those large bunny ears of yours?" he teased.

 _He said I'm his best friend. He said it! That means…_

It was now or never. She had to ask him now. She reached into her pocket and felt around…

But she felt nothing.

Nick's application form was gone.

"What's the matter, Carrots?"

"Ah, um, it's nothing, Nick." _I must have dropped it back at the diner! Or maybe it fell out of my pocket when I was leaving the apartment? Darn it…this was the perfect time to ask, too…_

She had to salvage the situation. "Wanna head back to my place to crash for a while?" It was a good excuse to get back to her apartment. She would find the application form, and ask him right then and there.

"Well, before that, I have a surprise for you."

Judy blinked. "A surprise? What is it?"

"You don't seem to understand the concept of 'surprise', Carrots," Nick said, amused. "You'll find out, but you need to wear this first," he said, holding up a blindfold.

Raising an eyebrow, Judy took the black cloth from him.

"Why do I need to be blindfolded?"

"You'll see. Now come on."

They were back in Finnick's van now. As Nick helped tie the blindfold around Judy's head, she wondered just what the fox was thinking. The van made several turns down different streets, stopping at multiple traffic lights. She made a mental note of her surroundings based on the number of turns, but she eventually lost track of where she was.

Finally, after about ten minutes, the van came to a stop.

"We're here," Nick said, helping her out of the back of the van. Her ears scanned the area like radar dishes. The sound of people walking along the pavements filled her ears. Still, nothing was particularly distinct to give her a hint as to where she was. The only thing she knew was that she was in a public place, and there were quite a few people walking around. She heard water running. A fountain, perhaps? There were plenty of fountains everywhere, so that wasn't very helpful.

She felt the blindfold being removed. Judy blinked, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the afternoon light. The area around her finally came into view.

She froze.

It was definitely not what she expected.


	4. Unexpected Surprises

**A/N:** A tour turns into something different, and people behave strangely.

Thanks to Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, zenith88, BeecroftA, Guest, Goldyx, SeekerofAura, RavenMoon33, Kochich, side-fish, Rxn, and Chaos-Wolfy for reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Unexpected Surprises**

"Nick…what are we doing here?"

The sprawling area in front of them was instantly recognisable to Judy. The prominent buildings, the tram that ran the perimeter of the square, the large fountain in the center of the square, and the many different species of mammals all moving in different directions. In front of her was a building she wasn't expecting to see.

The ZPD.

"There's only one reason we'd be here, isn't that right, Carrots?"

Judy looked at him, stunned. He was smiling.

"Time to get your badge back." With that said, he began walking towards the front doors.

"Hey, wait—Nick!" Judy called out, limping after him. She followed him through the revolving doors, eventually stepping into a very familiar lobby. She exhaled; the place hadn't changed a bit. In fact, it seemed busier than ever. There was a press conference apparently being held at the designated press corner, which made her shrink back a little. She hurried over to Nick, as much as her leg allowed her to move. As she arrived at his side, she noticed that the person standing behind the counter was not the tubby cheetah she had gotten used to seeing.

Said person behind the counter sat up. A tired, irritated pair of eyes glared back at her from behind a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles. The eyes were attached to a kangaroo, who definitely did not look pleased to see them. Judy took a quick glance at his name tag. It read: 'Kang'. He was most likely a new officer, Judy thought. She hadn't seen him before.

"Can I help you," He said, sounding like he wanted to do anything but that.

"Hi, we're here to see Chief Buffalo B—I mean Bogo. We're here to see Chief Bogo." Nick corrected himself. Judy was quite sure he did that on purpose.

"Do you have an appointment." The response was practiced, almost robotic.

"Well, no, but—"

"You need an appointment."

Judy and Nick exchanged glances. Nick was the first to speak up.

"Uhh…Chief Bogo told us to come down to see him whenever we wished. I don't think we need an appointment."

Kang's eyes narrowed. He pressed a button on his phone.

"Chief, there's a rabbit and a fox here to see you."

"What? Already?" Bogo's incredulous voice blasted over the speaker. "Ugh, send them up."

The kangaroo turned back to them, not looking much happier. He pointed with a hand.

"Elevator's over there."

"Right. Thanks," Judy said, following Nick to the elevator. The new receptionist continued glaring at them as they left. One thing was for sure: he was certainly not as friendly as Clawhauser.

On the way up the elevator, Nick was quiet, which made Judy all the more confused. Why had he brought her here? She had expected a park, maybe a…well, she didn't really know what to expect. But certainly not this.

Nick knocked on the door before swinging it open. The buffalo seated behind the desk looked up, looking a little worse for the wear.

"Hopps! You couldn't wait until you could walk at least before coming to get your badge back?" Bogo groaned.

"Well, I was going to, but…" Judy glanced at Nick.

"Ugh…I don't know what it would take to keep you out of work. One day you're going to bite off more than you can chew, Hopps." He motioned for them to sit, which they did.

"I'd say she already has," Nick said, chuckling. Judy ignored him.

"Chief, how is Bellwether's case? You look tired."

Bogo rubbed his temples, stretching his neck with an audible pop. "She originally tried to deny everything, but the recording was enough to shut her up. They're getting ready to bring her to court, which is going to be a real pain. We can't return you your carrot pen because it's being used as evidence. I hope you weren't planning on getting it back."

"No, it's fine. It's not that important. I'm just glad I was able to help. How about the Night Howler victims?"

"We interrogated Bellwether's cronies. The ones that were manufacturing the serum. There is an antidote, but it will take some time to make. We shouldn't get any more cases of animals going savage, at least."

"Well that's good. The public should be relieved. Hopefully the protests will stop," Judy said.

"Stop? Hmph." Bogo snorted. "Did you know that there have been rumours going around? Some people are saying that some of the ZPD's officers were helping to cover up for Bellwether."

"What? That's crazy!" Judy exclaimed.

"People are still in shock. They probably didn't expect two mayors to be arrested in such a short time. People think crazy things when they're scared, Hopps. The only thing we can do is to do our job, and ignore the crazy people. That's all we can do as officers."

 _Our job…_

"Speaking of that, I believe I have a promise to keep." He opened a small wooden box on his desk, taking out a very familiar golden badge. Judy's heart skipped a beat upon seeing the glint of the shiny metal.

Bogo stood and circled around the table, holding Judy's badge in his hand. Her badge looked tiny in comparison. She immediately stood to attention, despite the pain in her leg.

"Hopps, you're injured. You don't need to stand. It's not a ceremony anyway." Bogo said, walking up to her.

"Sir, I am being reinstated onto the force. It wouldn't be right if I didn't stand."

"That sounds just like you. In any case, this would be where I make some meaningful speech about you getting reinstated. But I won't, because I can't be bothered."

Judy nodded knowingly.

"But I will say this. You are a good cop, Hopps. Never lose your way. The ZPD needs people like you to remind us old ones, what we really do this job for." He placed the badge onto Judy's outstretched hands. She took it from him, feeling a similar feeling she did during the graduation academy. A deep welling of pride. She saluted her boss, making him do a double take.

"Hopps, you don't…ugh…" he rolled his eyes. Looking very reluctant, he saluted back. He cut the salute down a moment before Judy followed.

"Thank you, Chief. I won't let you down."

"Just don't go stirring up trouble over mouldy onions again." He said gruffly. "You're still too impulsive. You need to tone down your expectations of being a cop. Not everything we do is like this Night howler case, hunting down criminal masterminds and infiltrating secret labs. That's detective work."

She decided not to correct him this time. In the months that she'd been employed, she had realised just how right Bogo had been about her. As much as he didn't like her at first, he was right about her being reckless. She had been blinded by her own desire to prove herself and to help people that she'd completely ignored her surroundings.

"He's right you know," Nick chuckled. "You get excited way too easily."

Judy's ear twitched, her head turning to see Nick. He was still sitting comfortably in his chair, looking very relaxed. The pride she was feeling was dissipating, being replaced with another feeling.

Uncertainty.

This was her chance. It was just her, Nick, and Chief Bogo. If there ever was a time to convince Bogo to let Nick join the force and be her partner, it was now. The problem was that Nick's application form was gone. And she was supposed to have asked him first before coming to see Bogo.

It didn't matter. It had to be now. She did a quick mental rehearsal in her head. _"Nick, I know you said no last time. But…I still want to ask. Would you be my partner?"_ She nodded. It wasn't the great way she'd been planning to ask, but it would do.

Bogo's attention now shifted to Nick, after hearing him speak up.

"Ah, you. The fox," Bogo said dryly.

"Chief Bogo?" Nick said, clearing his throat. "Nicholas P. Wilde. I am a friend of Judy's."

"Yes, I remember you, unfortunately. What is it you want?"

"I have been inspired by officer Hopps' acts of bravery throughout the entire time she had me chained to her leg. Even though we almost got killed more than a couple of times." He cast a smirking glance over to her, before returning his attention to Bogo.

 _Nick, what are you…?_

"As a result, I wish to follow in her footsteps and join the ZPD…as her partner. Here is my application form." He pulled out a folded yellow piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it, placing it on Bogo's table.

Judy and Bogo's jaws dropped.

At first, Judy thought that it couldn't have been the same application form, but she recognised it, from the way it was crumpled. How had Nick gotten a hold of it? There was only one way she could think of. _He robbed me!_

"Nick, you…" she began. But Bogo beat her to the punch.

"You're serious?" Bogo said, realising that every single part of the form had actually been properly filled up. "Is this true, Hopps? You want him to be your partner? This…this…"

"Fox?" Nick answered. "Well, she's a bunny. Someone's gotta look out for her, right? Keep the impulsive bunny out of trouble. And yes, I am serious." He leaned to Judy's side. "Hey Carrots, put in a good word for me, won't ya?"

Judy blinked, trying to find the words to say. She had a million things she could have—and wanted to—say, but she didn't know where to start. In the end, she settled for nodding slowly.

"Y-yes, yes I do, Chief. Without him, I would never have gotten the confession from Bellwether. And he did save me from being killed."

"Twice." Nick held up his fingers.

"…twice." She rolled her eyes. "He'd make a good cop, Chief."

"Hmph. A fox cop? Leave it to the first bunny cop to suggest that." He turned to Nick now. "You want to become a cop just because of Hopps?"

"Yes. Yes I do. I owe her a lot, and I want to show you…show her, that I can be more than what everyone sees me as. I want to be a cop." He stared straight into Bogo's eyes. That look, Judy thought. That was the same look he gave Bogo back at the sky tram station. He was serious.

"Also I think the uniforms look pretty neat," he said, and the smirk returned to his face.

 _Okay maybe not_ , she thought, sighing inwardly. She turned to her boss.

"Chief, please. You gave me a chance. Please give Nick one, too."

The chief's attention turned back to her. She tried her best to look pleading, although she suspected he had more than one reason to not want Nick on the force. After a while, Bogo took his reading glasses from his pocket, putting them on. He smoothed the application form out and gave it a quick read-through.

"Applications don't come through me, and I have better things to do. Sawyer is in charge of that." He paused. "…But since it's a personal recommendation from you, Hopps, I will give it a personal look."

"Chief…!" Judy said, her eyes lighting up. She looked at Nick, who seemed just as delighted as she was.

"I'll get Kang to do a standard background check first." He pressed a button on his office phone. "Kang!"

"Yes Chief?!" a familiar high-pitched squeak came through the speaker.

"Clawhauser?" Judy asked.

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting he's in records now." Bogo sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Clawhauser, help me get some info on one Nicholas P. Wilde. Red fox. Give it to me once you get it."

"Will do, Chief!" Clawhauser said, before hanging up.

Bogo turned back to Nick, scrutinising him. Nick continued standing casually, hands in his pockets. The buffalo placed his elbows on his desk, resting his heavy chin on his hands.

"I might be Chief, but the mayor's—former mayor's—Mammal Inclusion Initiative is responsible for Hopps being here. If I had my way, Hopps wouldn't have been here to begin with. I can't just bring any officer I want to Precinct One."

"Oh…" Judy said, looking deflated.

"But…" Bogo held up a finger. "If he performs well in every single aspect of the police training, I can make a case for him coming here. I will make a personal request. That is, if he can even pass the training at all."

"Shouldn't be a problem, Chief." Nick shrugs. "I mean, if a bunny did it, and came out top of her class, I'm pretty sure passing can't be that hard."

"Hey! It wasn't that easy! It's not like you would know, popsicle fox." Judy retorted, crossing her arms.

"Of course I do, Carrots. It's just a little hop here, and a little jump there. Nothing to it," he said, emphasising the 'bunny' words.

"…Carrots?" Bogo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's her pet name. She likes being called it a lot."

"I do not!" Judy protested, scowling at Nick. He was completely unfazed.

"Yeah you do. She also likes being called Cottontail, Fluff…ow!" Nick flinched as Judy's clenched fist socked him right in the arm. His smirk returned. "Heh, you still hit like a bunny."

"Chief Bogo!" A large cheetah burst into the room, panting. Nick quickly made room before Clawhauser could fall on him. The tubby feline was gasping for breath, looking visibly exhausted. "I've…got…the data on Wilde…hoo boy, it's a long climb from…records…" he stumbled over to the desk and barely placed the file on the table. "I need to sit down." He gasped, flopping onto a nearby chair with an audible groan. Coming from the chair.

"Clawhauser, you could have just used the elevator." Chief Bogo said.

"…I did, Chief."

"Well, that's all I need for now, Clawhauser. You can go back now."

"Hang…on…Chief. Just need a little…time to rest." Clawhauser wheezed. His attention turned to the two smaller mammals in front of him. "Judy? You're…back!" he said between wheezes. "You've got your badge! Chief, is Judy…back on the force?"

"Hi, Ben," Judy waved back at him. She did feel happy to see Clawhauser again, even if he wasn't the man at the front desk.

Bogo sighed. "Yes, Clawhauser. She is."

Adjusting his glasses, Bogo opened Nick's file, taking a good, long read. The room fell silent, bar for Clawhauser's deep breathing. Judy looked in the corner of her eye at Nick. His tail was twitching. Was he nervous? He was hiding it pretty well, but Judy could tell he was definitely not as calm as he was pretending to be.

"What did you work as before this, Wilde?" Bogo asked, flipping through the few pages in the file.

"Businessman. Nothing special, really," Nick shrugged.

"Any particular reason why you changed your answer from yes to no for this question?" Bogo said, tapping his thick finger on one of the last few questions on the application form. Specifically, the one asking whether Nick had been convicted for a past crime. She noticed his tail twitch a little more.

"I wasn't sure if indecent exposure really counted. I couldn't really tell, with the way the officers were laughing back then. Wait, is that in my record?"

Bogo looked at the file, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I suppose I can overlook that." The chief opened his drawer, taking out a small piece of paper. He began scribbling something on it, before clipping it to the application form.

"Clawhauser, help me get this onto Sawyer's desk before you head back." Bogo turned back to Judy and Nick, sighing. "Against my better judgement, I've made this a personal recommendation. Once it goes through, Sawyer will call you up for all the necessary administrative issues."

"Chief…! Thank you!" Judy exclaimed. "Nick, you made it!" she said, grabbing his arm excitedly.

"The next batch of recruits is going in at the end of next month. It's a last-minute thing, but you can join them." Bogo said, looking at his calendar. "If you clear the tests, you'll get an email on what to pack and what to bring. And I'm sure our newly reinstated officer Hopps would be happy to help you with it. Isn't that right, Hopps?"

"Yes sir! I'll take care of Nick, don't worry."

"Splendid. Now, if that's all, I have work to do."

"Yes, Chief! C'mon, Nick, let's go!" she jumped to her feet, and yelped again as she landed a little hard on her leg.

"Jeez, Carrots, you could at least wait till we're out of the office before embarrassing yourself. Anyway, thanks for your time, Chief. See you at work in about…Carrots, how long is academy training?"

Judy groaned, holding her leg. "Six months."

"…six months, then. Save me a nice desk. No windows, 'kay? I don't want the bright glare reflecting off my badge and into my eyes."

"You can't just pass if you want to be here, Wilde. Top scores. Don't forget it. We'll see if you make it through. And Hopps!"

Judy looked up, startled.

"Chief?"

"Don't come back until those bandages are off. And preferably when the media stops pestering you."

"I will, Chief. Thank you for this." With that said, Judy and Nick walked to the door. Nick held the door open for her.

"Officer Hopps." He smiled.

The moment the door closed behind them, Judy punched Nick on his arm, hard.

"Ow! Well, you're getting better at punching, at least. What was that for?"

"For stealing the application form from me."

"Well now, it was crying to be taken, with the way it was sticking out of your pocket in the diner. Besides, you were taking too long to get to asking me, so I decided to surprise you." Nick said, walking towards the lifts. Judy followed.

"You…you knew I wanted to ask you about joining me?" she asked, stunned.

"I had a hunch. So did you enjoy my surprise?"

She looked at the badge in her hand. "Yeah…I did. I appreciate this. Thanks, Nick."

"Hi guys!" The floor shook slightly as Clawhauser caught up to them, looking slightly better than he did a few moments ago. They both turned. "Judy, it's good to see you again! I thought you were gone for good."

"Oh no, nothing can keep this bunny down," Nick replied, chuckling.

"This is great! Do you know how famous you are? You're the bunny who saved Zootopia, twice! That's really something. You'll be a big hit once you're back."

"Yeah? Well, I'm hoping that won't be the case. How's everything in records? Is it okay?"

The change in subject seemed to strike a nerve in Clawhauser somewhat.

"Oh…yeah, it's fine. Kinda deep down, and dark. And lonely. But hey, I have my boiler, and my snacks. So it's not all bad." He said, trying to smile. Judy could tell he wasn't feeling the way he was trying to look.

"I'm sorry, Ben. Maybe, once everything settles, you can get your old job back."

"No, I don't think it's going to happen. Kang is doing a great job at the front desk, and it's better for the ZPD overall like this," he said, unable to hide his deflated tone now. But he immediately tried to perk himself back up. "It's okay, Judy. What about you? How's your leg?"

Judy felt her heart sink a little. The case was solved; predators were innocent. But it was going to take a while for the fear and discrimination to ease.

"My leg's fine, Ben. Although, I've been embarrassing myself a lot because of the stupid thing. I just hope it'll heal faster."

"Hey, I think it's pretty cute when you embarrass yourself like that. I think you should do it more often." Nick grinned.

Judy heard Clawhauser gasping loudly. He immediately yanked Nick over, whispering into his ear.

"Oh, uh, Nick…bunnies don't really…they don't really like it when you call them cute. It's kind of…not nice." As much as he tried to whisper, Judy could hear it all.

"Huh? Really? I've never heard that one before. But Carrots is cute. I don't think anybody can deny that. Did you know, when she was young, she—"

"Oookay, that's enough!" Judy grabbed Nick's wrist, and yanked him back towards her. "Y-Yeah, Ben, it's okay, forget about it. You can't fix him. He's unfixable."

"Well now that's just offensive." Nick chuckled as the two of them continued walking, leaving behind a very confused Clawhauser.

"Wait, she let him call her cute." He whispered to himself. "Then, that means…HOOOOOOO—" his hands flew to his mouth, covering them as his eyes went wide.

Nick and Judy got into the lift, before realising Clawhauser wasn't there.

"Ben? You wanna get in?" Judy called out from inside the lift.

"Oh no, I'm good! I just forgot something in the chief's office. I'll see you around, Judy!" He waved as the lifts doors closed. He rubbed his hands to himself.

"The plot thickens…"

There was silence between Nick and Judy as the lift descended. Judy looked at the badge in her hands. It hadn't been that long since she'd given it up, but it felt like it had been forever. There was some lingering guilt, but she felt like she could wear the badge again with pride.

 _And hopefully, Nick will too._

"Nick…when did you decide?" she finally spoke up as they exited on the first floor.

"On what?"

"On being my partner. After what happened last time, I…" she hesitated. "I never thought you would say yes again."

"Well, you kept the form, didn't you? You kept it for the same reason I kept the carrot pen."

"And that is?"

"I kept it because deep inside, I hoped I could see you again. And I'm glad you came back, Carrots. I missed making fun of you for three whole months."

"I'm glad I came back too, Nick. And I'm so happy you said yes to being my partner." She leaned in towards him.

"Well, I couldn't really say no to my best friend. Aww, come here, emotional bunny. I know you like hugs."

"My parents told you that too, didn't they?" Judy said, sighing as she leaned in for a quick hug.

"Maybe," Nick said innocently. They broke the hug and continued walking to the exit. The two were completely oblivious to the click of a camera from the third floor. "So, dinner at your place again? We can get takeaway from a joint I know. They have best bug burgers in town."

"Yuck. Not even if you paid me, Nick. I'll stick to my vegetables and fruits, thanks."

"Hey, you never know. You might be surprised at its taste. I know plenty of prey who've come to like the taste of insects and fish."

"I think I've had enough surprises for today, Nick." Judy said as they exited the building.

 _Now it's my turn to surprise you._

"You know, speaking of surprises, I thought Buffalo Butt would have been a lot harder to convince. Especially with that whole bit about not being able to trust foxes back when Manchas disappeared."

"Yeah, I'm not sure why. I thought he would've rejected you outright for being so snarky. You should really tone it down, at least in front of him, Nick."

"Hey now, if he's going to work with me, he needs to get used to my charm," Nick said, turning the corner with Judy he led her to the nearby burger joint.

"Oh, you're certainly 'charming', Nick. Just not in the way he likes. Which makes me wonder why he said yes…"

"Darn, wish I still had the carrot pen to record that first part." Nick said, sounding disappointed. "Charming? It's rare I ever get a compliment from the prude bunny…" he trailed off, looking ahead.

"Nick?"

"Hey Carrots, how professional is your police department?"

"Uh, very? Why?"

"Because I don't remember ever deleting the other recordings on your carrot pen."

"Wait, what? Why didn't you?"

"Well, the forty-eight hours I gave you under the bridge wasn't up, and I still wanted to hear you call yourself a dumb bunny for a while longer. I didn't think it would end up as evidence."

Judy gave him a look. Nick grinned sheepishly.

"Ah don't worry. I'm sure they were only interested in Bellwether's recording. It's not like the police would be interested in you crying your eyes out while calling yourself a dumb bunny."

* * *

"… _I really am just a dumb bunny!"_

Chief Bogo sat at his desk, taking a nice, long stretch. Today hadn't been pleasant; he was getting a migraine from all the work he'd been trying to clear.

This made it slightly better, though.

Bogo had noticed that ever since the press conference, Hopps had never quite been the same. And after hearing this recording that was delivered to him from the extraction department, he finally understood why. He thought he'd understood the bunny's motivations, but the words that she was tearfully crying out in the recording said otherwise.

Wilde's case file was still sitting on his desk, his profile picture smirking back at him. Bogo wondered if he could wipe the smug smile off the fox's face. He hated his kind. Not foxes, but the smarmy, sarcastic kind. It just so happened that a lot of foxes were coincidentally smarmy and sarcastic. Coincidence? Bogo didn't believe in coincidences. Still, he owed Hopps big time. She essentially saved the face of the ZPD. And if the fox was the reason she solved the case, and he was that important to her, then he deserved a chance. Even if he was a smarmy little bugger.

 _He was a smarmy little bugger that stood up to you. He had the guts to do that, at least._

Bogo chuckled to himself. Maybe there was hope for the fox to become an officer. And if he ever did end up in Precinct One, Bogo was glad he had some insurance on him. Insurance was always good. And in the meantime…

"… _I really am just a dumb bunny!"_

Bogo smiled. Today wasn't turning out so bad after all.


	5. Old New Friends

**A/N:** Judy decides to give Nick a surprise of her own. But surprises don't always go as planned…

Thanks to BeecroftA, Chaos-Wolfy, Bukoya, Selaxes, Clusger Kres, Guest, Nike Scarlet, side-fish, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, Foxlover91, 22animals, Mystic Fairy Tame, and Kochich for reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Old New Friends**

The burger joint was further than Judy expected. But the food was bought, and the two were on their way back to her place on foot. However, at Judy's speed, it was taking slightly longer than expected. Nick took the occasional glance at her as they walked.

"You sure you don't want me to call a cab?"

"I'm fine, Nick. The pain isn't that bad. I can manage walking." Judy shot back.

"You could barely manage standing back in Bogo's office. There's no shame in admitting you're wrong, you know."

 _Yes, there is._ Even though Nick was right, she'd never let him get the satisfaction of knowing it, no matter how much her leg hurt.

"Just keep walking, Nick."

"Alright then. But the offer is still open."

Ten minutes later, she was seriously starting to doubt her words. She tried to maintain a relaxed expression, but it was getting tougher to do so while keeping up the illusion that she wasn't in terrible pain. The painkillers had almost worn off completely by now, which made it even worse.

 _How long more do I have to walk?!_

"Twenty minutes at this pace," Nick answered, as if hearing her thoughts.

She glanced over at the red fox in the corner of her eye. He was whistling nonchalantly, hands behind his back. He was waiting! The sly hustler was just waiting for her to admit defeat. But she wouldn't give in. Oh no. She wasn't going to let him win.

* * *

"What was that?" Nick asked.

"…you win," she mumbled softly.

"I don't think I heard that. Could you say it a little louder?" Nick asked as he got out of the cab.

"You win, Nick. I was…wrong." It almost physically hurt to admit it to him.

"Who's a stubborn little dumb bunny?" he teased.

Judy clenched her fists, mouth curling up in a scowl. "Mmph…me."

"Now that's more like it. It took you long enough. I was worried my fries would get soggy."

 _Stupid injured leg,_ Judy grumbled inwardly. They were climbing the stairs up to her apartment now. As they reached her floor, her phone beeped. There was one new message.

" _I'll be there soon"_

She looked at the time on the screen. It was just about to hit six in the evening. It seemed that he'd made it in time. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out the keys to her room.

"Nick, here. Could you head in first? I'm going to the toilet." She tossed the key ring over to Nick.

"I—"

"Before you ask, I do _not_ need help getting there. It's just down the hall."

"But what if you fall into the toilet bowl and can't get out?"

"Then it wouldn't be the first time. Just don't eat my food before I get there."

"I can't promise that, Carrots. Better hurry up in there if you still want some left for yourself." He grinned.

She rolled her eyes, walking towards the toilets. But the moment her apartment door closed behind him, she turned around and went down the stairs, going out the apartment's front door. She looked around, moving towards a familiar van, and an even more familiar face. He was taking a photo of the city behind him. Judy took a deep breath and approached the window, which was winded down.

"Hi, Gideon."

Gideon Grey's ears perked up at the sound of his name. Setting the camera down, he turned to face her. He was still as neat as Judy remembered him from the day before: his hair was neatly combed, and an apron draped over his clothes.

"Heya, Judy! I heard what happened. How's your leg?"

"Could be better, Gideon. Could be—wait, how do you know what happened?" the only people who were supposed to know the specifics about her injury were her parents, Bogo, and Nick.

"I was at your farm this mornin'. They said your folks were here to visit you. They told me you got hurt. And it does look pretty bad…"

"It's fine, Gideon." _Other than me aggravating it for the whole evening…_ "Thanks for coming down on such short notice."

"Well, it's the least I could do for ya, after all." Gideon said, climbing out of his truck. "I still owe you some pies, if I remember correctly. Bein' in the big city don't change that none."

Judy smiled. It was still hard to believe the fox standing in front of her was Gideon Grey. It was even harder to believe he was able to come on such short notice. Her mind drifted back to the night before…

* * *

 _Nick and my parents are going to be here at the same time tomorrow._

A chill ran down her spine.

 _Nick is going to meet my parents._

Judy shot up in bed, heart racing. This wasn't part of the plan! Nothing good could ever come if her parents and Nick met. She quickly checked the time on her clock. 10.59 p.m. It wasn't too late to call either party, but she wasn't looking forward to trying to change her parents' plans. Knowing them, they'd probably booked their tickets for the train to Zootopia already.

That left Nick. She immediately grabbed her phone, but after staring at it for a good five seconds, she realised something very important.

 _I don't have his number._

She let out a defeated groan, flopping back onto her bed. How could she have not gotten his number all this time? She remembered seeing it in his file back at the ZPD, but she'd never thought to put it in her phone. She only remembered a few numbers vaguely. A six? She remembered a five in there for sure…

In any case, there was nothing she could do except let it all happen. Like waiting for a time-bomb to go off.

Her phone beeped. A number flashed across her screen, with a short message attached: "Here you go, sweetie."

It was a fox's number, but not the one she needed right then. She drummed her fingers on her bedframe, staring at the message for a long while. There was no way for her to stop the meeting tomorrow, but she still needed to get a thank-you gift for Nick, before asking whether he would join her as her partner in the ZPD. Which meant that she needed to make this call.

She tapped in Gideon's number, noticing that her medicine bottles were resting on the edge of her bed. She hoped she'd taken the correct dosage, and that her fur didn't turn blue. Or pink. She decided not to tell her parents about those little side effects, or they'd probably never get any sleep.

The phone was ringing, but no one was picking up. Maybe Gideon was already asleep? As she waited, she looked for a spare pillow to prop her leg up with. Unfortunately, there was none. She sighed and just let her leg rest. Her thoughts fell to Nick immediately. She wondered what he was doing now. Would he be able to complete the training? What if he couldn't make it through?

She shook her head. _I need to stop thinking about him for a moment._

"Hello?"

"Nick?" she immediately said.

"Nick? I'm sorry, but y'all must have gotten the wrong number…"

She quickly slapped herself on her face.

"No, no! Gideon? Is that you?"

"This voice…Judy?"

"So you do recognise me." Judy quipped. It was unexpected, but she was feeling a tad nervous. "Hi."

"Uh, hi. So, to what do I owe the pleasure? We just met this afternoon."

"Yes, we did. But we didn't really get to talk, seeing as I rushed off and all that…"

"Y-you want to talk? Like, right now?" he sounded uncertain. She would be uncertain too if Gideon called her up all of a sudden this late at night.

"Well, I know it's a little weird, coming from me, but I actually wanted to talk business with you. You sell pies now, right?"

"W-well yes. Best pastries in the tri-burrows!" he said, sounding a bit more confident. "Would ya like to buy some? Wait, you're in Zootopia now, aren't ya? I've been seeing your face all over the news. Hot darn you're big news, Judy."

"Yeah, well I'm trying not to be big news right now. It's tiring." Judy replied, fiddling with one of her medicine bottles. "But yes, I would like to buy a blueberry pie from you. You do make them, right?"

"Pshaw, 'course I do! Not as popular as my lemon meringues, but then again not many things can match up to that little puppy."

Judy smiled to herself; hearing him speak so passionately about something that didn't involve bullying people was quite refreshing. She was glad he'd found some good in his life.

"Well I'd be happy to try a lemon meringue too. Now, this is where I have to ask a favour." She took a deep breath. "Could you deliver to Zootopia? It's in Savannah Central, behind Orchard Plaza. I'd really appreciate it. I'm willing to pay more."

The line was silent for a while. Judy crossed her fingers.

"Sure, I can do that. Not till evening, though. Is that okay for ya? I can be there, say around...six. Sorry, I've got a bunch of deliveries I have to make…"

"No, no! That's fine. I'm really glad you can come, Gideon. This is really important to me. It's a gift for a friend."

"Ah, your special someone, I reckon? That's sweet, Judy."

"He's not my special someone!" Judy protested over the phone. "I never said he was!"

"Oh, so it _is_ a guy. You're getting pretty worked up there, ya know. Heh, never took ya for the romantic kind."

 _Okay, some things don't change._ Judy glared at the wall, as if Gideon was supposed to see it over the line. He still knew how to push her buttons. At least the teasing was more good-natured now, rather than spiteful.

"Just drop it, Gideon Grey. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Heh, right. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night, ya hear?" he said, before the line disconnected. For some reason, Judy pictured him with a big smirk on the other end. She rolled her eyes. At least he agreed to come. Now she could finally get some rest. She slumped back into her bed, beginning to drift off…

* * *

"And here we go." Gideon pulled open the back of his truck, revealing a mostly empty back. There were a whole bunch of boxes and containers, with only two pies left on the shelf. A wonderful potpourri of smells wafted out of the truck and into Judy's nose, almost making her salivate on the spot.

"Wow…they smell great."

"And they'll taste great, too. They're not perfectly fresh, but I did my best to keep 'em warm."

"I appreciate it, Gideon." She reached into her pocket for her wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

"No, you don't owe me anythin'. This is free for ya."

"Gideon, I can't let you do that! You drove out all the way here. I need to give you something."

"You don't need to, Judy. Your folks have already given me enough."

"My parents?"

"Yeah. They gave me a chance to work with them, even after what I did to you. They listened, took me in, and helped my business grow. I owe them lots. Just like I owe you."

True enough, on the side of Gideon's van were the words: _"Made with fresh produce from Hopps Family Farm"._

"…Gideon, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"What happened all this time? I haven't seen you since we left school. How'd you get into baking?"

Gideon adjusted his apron, as if preparing to recite a speech.

"Well, after I left school, I really didn't know what to do. Up to that point I was just an emotionally unbalanced individual. Had no real friends, grades weren't good enough to go anywhere. One day I just decided I couldn't do it no more. I went to get help."

"You mean…counselling?"

"Yeah. And it really made me feel better about myself. Like I said yesterday, I had a lot of self-doubt. Doc helped me get through that, told me that it wasn't too late to turn my life around. Wasn't too late to be happy. And he was right," Gideon said, smiling sincerely for the first time Judy had ever known him. "I told myself to buckle down, find somethin' that makes me happy, and then do it. And, well, here I am."

Judy listened with rapt attention. The childhood bully, the one that tormented the younger kids for years, was now standing here, a changed fox. He'd turned his life around, and made it better. And she was genuinely happy for him.

"Ya know…I heard of you bein' the first bunny cop back then. I'm real glad for you, Judy. I'm glad you made it, even after everything I said to ya when we were kids. It still makes me feel real awful, the way I treated you back then."

"Well, I never did know how to quit. Don't worry about it, Gideon. We're friends now." She extended a hand to him, smiling.

Gideon still looked a little guilty, but he extended his own hand to shake Judy's, returning the smile.

"Thank you kindly, Judy. I think I can sleep a little better now. I hope one day I'll be able to apologise to the other kids I bullied, too."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it. Oh, right! I need to thank you for yesterday too. You were a real lifesaver."

"Me?" he asked, puzzled. "What did I do?"

"Helped me solve the Night howler case. Without you I wouldn't have figured out what was going on with the toxic flowers."

"Uhh…okay. I don't remember doin' all that much though. Anyhow, I would stay a little longer, but I have to get back. Business ain't gonna run itself, ya know. I hope I was able to make up for what I've done, at least a little."

"I understand. And you have, Gideon. Thank you for this favour."

"I'm glad to say it was my pleasure, Judy." He handed her the pies. She gingerly took it from him, being careful to maintain her balance with her injured leg.

"Uh, do ya need help getting back to your room?"

"No, I'll be fine. See you, Gideon!"

Gideon nodded, getting back into his van. He gave a little wave as he drove off, leaving a small cloud of dust beside her. She felt a sense of satisfaction as she watched him go. Gideon changed his life for the better. She hoped she could help a certain other fox do the same. And she couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she presented the pie to him.

* * *

Nick was bored. Rather, he was tired of waiting. Judy was taking a ridiculously long time in the bathroom, which meant his food was getting cold. At first, he assumed the worst: Judy had fallen down in the bathroom and couldn't get back up. Although he felt bad for thinking so, he kind of wanted it to happen, just so he could prove that he was right, and that she was wrong. Again.

No such luck though, because after a quick text to her, she replied that she was fine. Which led him to text back: _"Then what's taking so long?"_

No reply. He sighed, sitting down on Judy's bed. He looked at the suitcase in front of him. It was the same one that Mr Hopps had opened earlier in the morning. If he was right, then Judy's stuffed bunnies were inside.

Taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, he popped the case open and took a look inside. True enough, a total of six stuffed rabbits were sitting inside, along with a bunch of other miscellaneous items: Judy's earbuds, charging cables, adaptors…

Nick tapped his chin as he looked over the well-worn rabbits. They looked like they were pretty old. If he remembered correctly, one of them was Floof, the other Floofier…

A pink sack nearly hidden underneath the assortment of items caught his eye. Curious, he reached out to it and opened it. He raised an eyebrow upon seeing the contents. They were all small, bunny sized items. He thought a long moment, before finally realising just what they meant.

A strong smell gave him pause. It was approaching the room, getting stronger by the second. He took a long, hard sniff.

"Huh, that smells really good—"

The door swung open, revealing a smiling Judy, who was holding a tray with a couple of pies on it. When they made eye contact, they both stared for a long while at each other, for different reasons. Judy's smile disappeared.

"Where did you get that?" They both asked simultaneously.

Both of them blinked. Judy shook her head.

"Nick, why are you looking through my stuff? Why are you holding my stuffed rabbits?" she glared at him accusingly.

"Well, I was minding my own business when I heard a cry for help coming from inside here. Poor Floof was locked inside for so long. Isn't that right, Floof?" he said, making the stuffed bunny nod her head.

"That's not Floof."

"Oh. Well, it was worth a shot." He placed the stuffed bunny back onto the bed. "And I asked first. Where did you get those pies from? Please don't say the toilet."

She stepped into the room, placing the tray down on the table.

"Well, I was planning to give you this as a surprise today along with the application form. I was going to ask whether you would join me in the ZPD. But then you stole the form from me and brought me straight to Chief Bogo, so…"

"It wasn't stealing, it was borrowing." Nick corrected. He was still pretty pleased with himself for nicking the application form from Judy back at the diner. _'Nicking', hah. Punny._ "So, this was supposed to butter me up?"

"More or less. Things didn't quite go according to plan, but I thought you would still enjoy this. It's my way of saying thanks…for agreeing to be my partner. And for helping me to get this back." She pulled out her police badge from her pocket. It glinted softly in the dim light of the apartment.

"I'm sure the city will be glad to have their overemotional impulsive bunny cop back." He grinned. He looked at the pies, sniffing at them. "Is that…blueberry pie?"

"Yup. Your favourite."

He immediately began rummaging through the paper bag beside him for a fork. Digging a small piece out of the pie through its lattice crust, he saw that it indeed was blueberry pie. The inside was still oozing purple juice slightly. He gently placed the piece into his mouth, taking a few careful chews. Instantly his eyes widened.

 _This is delicious._ It was one of the best pies he'd ever tasted. It was enough to make him shudder visibly.

"Okay, I'm stumped. Where did you get this from? I know most of the bakeries in Zootopia, and this isn't from any of them."

Judy looked pretty pleased at having stumped him.

"I called in a favour. From an old…friend. He's a baker from Bunnyburrow."

"Well, tell your bunny friend that he makes great pies." Nick said, passing Judy a fork and knife.

"Actually, he's a fox. His name's Gideon Grey."

"A fox?" that caught Nick's attention. "Is he as devilishly handsome as me?"

"You wish."

"Aww, Carrots, you're hurting my self-esteem here."

"I didn't think that was possible." Judy remarked, taking her veggie burger out of the paper bag and passing his bug burger and fries to him in exchange.

"Touché." Nick dug his fork into the pie, cutting out a slice and placing it on the napkin. "So how do you know this fox? Did he hustle you out of a jumbo pop too?"

"No, he didn't. He was the neighbourhood bully when I was a kid. He liked to pick on me because I wanted to be a cop." She munched on her burger. "That kinda sounds like you, actually."

 _A fox bully?_ This was the first time Nick had ever heard of this. Not even her parents had mentioned this little fact to him. And now that he had, something was finally starting to make sense to him.

"So let me guess: he called you a dumb bunny, pushed you around, and said you'd never be a cop, which only ended up motivating you even more to become the fuzz bunny we all know and love. Does that sound about right?"

Judy's chewing ceased. She looked back at Nick in disbelief.

"Don't tell me my parents told you that too."

"No, just a lucky guess. So how badly were you bullied?"

"It was mostly words, other than the time he scratched me at the local rabbit fair. I was nine at the time." Her hand unconsciously travelled to her cheek, which didn't go unnoticed by him. "But it was a long time ago. He turned out good though, so everything's fine. He even works with my parents now."

Something clicked in Nick's head; the pieces were starting to come together now. He looked at her.

"So you were bullied by a fox when you were a kid. Was that why you carried around fox repellent when we first met?" Nick asked.

The sudden question appeared to have struck a nerve. Judy went silent for a moment, shuffling uncomfortably. She didn't need to say anything. Nick knew what her answer was from her expression.

"Yes. Also, my parents were super paranoid about this sort of thing. They were stuck in this mentality that all predators are out to get prey. Especially foxes and bunnies. They're the ones who gave me the repellent when I first came to Zootopia. A good lot of help that did me…" she mumbled.

"So your parents are scared of foxes too? They seemed quite fine with me."

"They're getting better about it now ever since they started working with Gideon, but...you know. That's kind of the reason why I didn't want you to meet them today. I was worried."

"That they'd spray me with fox repellent?" he smirked.

"Um, yeah. Let's go with that." Judy said, laughing a little nervously.

"Well, that explains this then. I was wondering about it," Nick said, pulling out a small pink sack from the open suitcase next to him. Judy was confused, until he started taking the items out one by one. He could almost see the colour drain from Judy's face.

"Your parents are pretty well prepared, Carrots. Fox repellent, fox deterrent…is this a fox taser?"

Never had Nick seen Judy lunge so quickly at him. The bunny practically flew over, grabbing the sack and knocking the taser out of Nick's hands. She looked like she was having a full blown panic attack. The taser smacked against the windowsill, knocking the bottles of medicine onto the floor. Pills of different colours and sizes spilt out haphazardly across the floor.

"Carrots! What are—"

"Nick, it's not what you think! I didn't know they were going to bring it and I was going to throw them all away once I got home I swear!" She waved her arms wildly, looking at him with desperate eyes.

It took a second for Nick to process what was happening. The bunny's ears were pressed against the back of her head.

"I'm sorry. I was never going to let you see this…"

 _Ah, so that's what it is._ Her face said it all. She was scared. Scared of losing him like she did three months ago. _She cares this much about our friendship…_

"Carrots, relax." He grabbed her gently by her waist and pulled her off him, setting her down on her bed. "I'm not angry."

"I know you're angry, and you have every right to be—wait, you're…not?"

"No. Your parents are just overprotective, and you were bullied by a fox when you were a kid. I didn't know that until now." He paused. "I can't blame you for acting the way you did at the press conference. I was triggering a bad memory for you."

"No, you had every reason to be mad at me. I said things that I shouldn't have. I said horrible things."

"You were just repeating what the doctors were saying because you got nervous," he said, picking the taser off the ground. That was something Nick had only realised after a few days, after he'd taken the time to properly cool off. "And besides, I already forgave you under that bridge, so we don't need to do that again. Unless you want to call yourself a dumb bunny. We can do that again." He grinned.

"Nick…"

"Also, being stressed like that is bad for your little bunny heart." He petted her head, which made her huff. But at least that seemed to have calmed her somewhat.

"I still don't believe my parents brought along this stuff. Even after they saw you with me on TV." Judy muttered, sitting back down on her bed beside him.

"If I was an overprotective bunny, and I saw my daughter who ran away from home appearing on live TV with a fox after not telling me anything, I'd be pretty worried too. Don't worry, Carrots. I'm not angry at your parents either. They trust me enough to let me take care of you. I'm sure they weren't going to use this on me."

"I suppose…" she said, ears still drooped. Nick thought to himself for a moment.

"You know, I wonder why they make tasers specially for foxes. Do you think there's a huge one for elephants? How would you carry it around?" He asked, giving the weapon a look-over, before clicking a button. The taser sparked to life with a loud crackle.

"Nick, put it down! It's dangerous."

"Relax, it's a fox taser. Fox. Taser. A taser to be used by foxes."

That made her roll her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure it means to be used _on_ foxes. And I'm also pretty sure that you're going to end up tasing yourself. Actually, you know what? Keep on playing with it. I bet it'll be hilarious." She couldn't resist a small smile.

 _There, that seemed to have cheered her up,_ Nick thought to himself, nodding.

"And let you have the satisfaction of seeing me completely helpless? Not happening, Fluff. But nice try."

The two of them exchanged playful grins, before Nick stood up, turning off the taser.

"Now, if there aren't any more emotional bunny breakdowns, I'd like to enjoy my pie and have a nice, quiet dinner—"

"SHUT UP!"

Both of them froze.

"NO YOU SHUT UP!" the voices were approaching, getting louder.

"…Carrots, what was that?" Nick asked.

Judy groaned, rubbing her temples.

"That, is the end of our nice quiet dinner."


	6. I told you so

**A/N:** Nick and Judy learn something shocking, for different reasons.

Thanks to BeecroftA, Selaxes, Britt30, zenith88, Bukoya, Foxlover91, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, Benben225, side-fish, Feyha, Aronim (it's been a while), and Kochich for reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter 6: "I told you so"**

"Your neighbours?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, those are my neighbours I was telling you about yesterday." Judy replied, nonplussed.

"They sound pleasant."

"Hey! Bunny cop, is that you?" Bucky's voice echoed through the walls.

"She's back?" Pronk followed up, sounding very surprised.

"I thought you left town because you got fired!" Bucky called out, slamming their door behind them. They were now probably in their own room.

"She didn't get fired, she quit! Weren't you listening to her when she was crying in her room back then while drowning her sorrows in carrot juice?!"

"I was! And it wasn't carrot juice it was mango juice!"

"It was carrot juice! Now shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Hi guys." Judy rapped the wall separating the two rooms. "Yeah, I quit, but things sort of happened, and I'm back on the force again! Also it was guava juice."

"Congrats, bunny!" Pronk called out. "I'm glad you're back."

"I'm not," Bucky muttered.

Loud pushing.

"Stop being such a grouch! It's not her fault you lost your wallet! Stop taking it out on her!" Pronk hissed.

"You're right; it's not her fault, it's yours!" Bucky shouted back.

"It's your wallet! How is that my fault!?"

"It was in your bag! That means you're responsible! Now shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Why do you need this again?" Nick asked, holding her alarm clock. She couldn't resist a smirk.

"Because they don't always last till morning. That's what I have these for." She said, holding her earbuds. "Sorry about them. Let's just try and finish our dessert in peace. I need to take my medicine…"

"You mean the medicine that's all over the floor?"

Judy looked down. Sure enough, her bottles of medicine were emptied all over the floor, scattered around haphazardly. She immediately remembered knocking them over when she'd collided into Nick just a moment ago.

"Oh, right."

She bent over to pick them up. As she did, a lance of pain shot up her leg, making her groan and wince. She quickly stood back up.

"Agh, okay I don't think I can bend down…"

"Of course you can't. Not after trying to walk all the way home with that leg of yours. That's what happens when you're a stubborn bunny." Nick chided. He got onto his knees, beginning to pick up the individual capsules and putting them back into the bottles. Judy didn't retort this time; she was inwardly glad Nick was there to help her out. She probably wouldn't have been able to see the pills in the dim light anyway.

Nick swept the rest of the pills up quickly, dropping the last one back into its bottle and handing it over to Judy.

"Here. Two of this, three of this, and two of that," he said, reading off the labels.

"I know, I know. You're starting to sound like my mom…" she took the pill bottles from him, shaking out the amount that he specified.

"Well, she did leave me in charge. That obviously means she trusts my good judgment to take care of you." He sat down on the single chair in the room, beside the table.

"Good judgment? You're the guy who sold a mob boss a skunk butt rug," she deadpanned, washing the pills down with a mouthful of cola.

"Hey, that was just one bad decision among the good ones."

"That one bad decision almost killed you! If it wasn't for incredible chance that I saved Mr Big's daughter, you'd be a frozen fox popsicle under the ice."

"Whose fault was it for landing us in Mr Big's limo and getting us caught in the first place, hmm?" He tapped his chin. "Oh right, it was yours. I didn't exactly plan to ever meet Mr Big after what happened, you know. I wouldn't have met him at all if you didn't leash me with your carrot pen. I wouldn't have almost been mauled to death by a jaguar or forced to go savage either. And I definitely wouldn't have been crazy enough to apply to be one of these." He reached out for Judy's police badge and held it up. It glinted in the dim light.

Judy leaned back, her mouth curling into a wry smile.

"So…it was worth it in the end?"

Nick thought about it for a moment, tapping his chin.

"Is this the fault of an overemotional, reckless bunny? Yes, yes it is."

"You're avoiding the question."

"I'm not avoiding the question, I'm tactfully sidestepping it," he replied with his signature smile.

Judy gave him a look.

"…Now I'm hoping you really tase yourself." She muttered.

"Oh no, don't tase me, Carrots! Ahhhhh!" Nick grabbed the taser from the table and plunged it into his stomach, mock screaming in agony and writhing in fake spasms.

"Hey, Bunny, cool down! No need to resort to police brutality!" Bucky called out from next door.

"Yeah! Just because he's a fox doesn't mean you can tase him all willy-nilly!"

"I am not tasing him!" Judy protested. "Nick, stop playing around!"

"Bloooood, agony, and…death." He collapsed in a heap on Judy's bed, tongue stuck out, and holding Judy's stuffed rabbits in his hands like they were a bouquet of flowers.

"People who get tased don't bleed, or die, Nick. They just end up with their fur frizzled. Also you're a horrible actor."

"I learned from the best," Nick said, getting up and winking at her.

Judy rolled her eyes.

* * *

They did eventually manage to resume their meal, eating the pies Gideon had baked. She sat back down on her bed, Nick doing the same on the chair. They ate in relative peace, in spite of the arguments and the racket coming from next door. Judy wasn't fazed, having lived next to Bucky and Pronk for several months now, but Nick didn't seem to be bothered at all. They both settled into a comfortable silence, looking at their phones occasionally and sharing a couple of amusing pictures here and there. One by one, the slices disappeared, until there was only a slice of each left over.

"Okay, I'm full." Judy sighed, content. She leaned back against the wall. "I don't think I can eat any more."

"Want me to put them in the fridge?" Nick offered.

"Don't bother. It's a communal fridge. I tried putting stuff in there for the first week. It all disappeared."

"They actually tried to steal from a cop?" he asked, amused.

"Yeah, and I never could find out who it was. I even labelled it and put a sign and everything." Her leg began twitching in annoyance. She resisted the urge to thump her feet; yesterday's incident in her apartment was embarrassing enough without Nick around to see it.

"Must be quite the thief to give the most persistent bunny in the world the slip." Nick smirked. "Hey, I've got an idea. How about going around door to door with this and asking real nicely?" he held up the fox taser. Judy glared at him disapprovingly.

"Nick, I am not going to go around tasing people over some missing sandwiches."

"You don't need to tase them, Carrots." He pressed the button, turning the small device on with a crackle of electricity. "Just the threat alone would be enough to get you the info you need."

Judy crossed her arms. "I am a cop. I'm not going to threaten people with violence just to get what I want. I have standards."

"Double standards, maybe. You sure didn't have a problem threatening to ice Weaselton." Nick smirked.

"That's because the city was in danger, Nick! I was desperate for the info!" she exclaimed. She also added with a whisper, "Also, I wasn't technically a cop back then, so it doesn't count…"

"Sure it doesn't."

As he said that, the taser gave out a weak sputter, before it went off, even though Nick's finger was still on the trigger.

"Huh. That's weird. Is it supposed to do that?"

"No, and I don't think you should touch it. It's probably broken. And that's probably for the best." she muttered the last part to herself, going back to her phone and her furbook profile and typing in a text. Nick turned the taser over, giving the side a few knocks. There was a slight sputter. He frowned, knocking a little harder.

"How could it be broken? It looks brand new." He read the front of the taser. _'FOX AWAY'_ , it read. With a small little note at the bottom saying 'Maximum voltage'.

"Pfft. Stupid thing was probably made in—"

All of a sudden, the taser came to life, sending a sharp burst of electricity flying out from the tip. Nick yelped, leg jerking out reflexively. When he did, his toe collided with one of the legs of Judy's bed. "Agh!" He instinctively keeled over in pain, but by the time he realised the implications of that action, it was too late.

"A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A—"

"That's much better acting, Nick. You might actually fool someone one of these days," Judy chuckled, tapping on her phone.

"A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A—"

"Hey Nick, not so loud, or people are going to—" she looked up, and her blood instantly ran cold.

"NICK!"

His body was convulsing, his top half sprawled over her bed, while his legs flailed around like wet noodles. His hand was still tightly gripped around the taser, which was pressing on his left arm.

Her instincts immediately kicked in. She lunged forward, smacking the taser out of his hands. The pink block landed on the ground, fizzling out. Nick's body slumped halfway over her bed, and he let out the most pitiful, high pitched whine she had ever heard. If she hadn't been so worried about her friend, she would definitely have laughed till her sides hurt.

"Nick! Nick, speak to me!"

"Aaaaooooowwww…" he wheezed.

Judy pulled the twitching fox onto her bed, with a bit of effort. With a grunt, she managed to get his entire body on her bed, face up. He was still twitching slightly, but at least he wasn't convulsing wildly like a second ago.

 _Wilde-ly, more like…_ she shook her head. This was no time to be thinking of bad puns. She lifted his arm to see the point where the taser touched his skin. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any serious burn marks, although his fur did smell a little burnt.

"Oh my god she actually tased him." She heard Bucky whisper from his room.

"Should we call the police?" Pronk asked.

"You moron, she IS the police!"

Thankfully, Nick was still breathing. She'd heard cases of taser attacks stopping the heart, but thankfully, this wasn't the case. It was fortunate that he'd only ended up pressing it against his arm. And now that she didn't have to worry for his life, she could finally feel the inner sense of smug satisfaction of being right. After what happened with Bellwether's wool and the bag of goop at the hospital, she knew his itchy fingers would eventually land him into trouble. This was an oddly fitting way of it happening.

The fox stirred, starting to come around.

"Ugh…wuh…what happened? I remembered hitting my toe really hard…" he raised his right arm, rubbing his head.

"You tased yourself with the fox taser," Judy replied flatly. "I didn't think you were supposed to use it on yourself though."

Nick groaned.

"They weren't…kidding…about the 'maximum voltage' part." He tried to move, but he only ended up slumping back onto her bed.

"Well, you were right at least," Judy said.

"About what?"

"It was extremely satisfying. Could you tase yourself again sometime?" She grinned.

Nick chuckled weakly.

"I don't think I'm done with this time just yet." He craned his neck to look at her. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Absolutely, one hundred percent," Judy said, her smug grin widening. It felt good using his own words against him. "And I did warn you about it. So, who's the stubborn dumb one now?"

"Still you, no doubt. I have a carrot pen confession, after all. Had, anyway." He tried pushing himself up to a sitting position again. This time, he succeeded, but with quite a bit of difficulty. He flexed his arm, wincing. "Ugh, I still feel tingly. Hey Carrots, do you think you could spare me some of your painkillers? I don't think I can walk home like this."

"Nick, taser effects don't last that long. Just wait a while, and it'll wear off," she said.

"Clearly you haven't experienced the wonderful manufacturing design of 'Fox Away' tasers. They really don't joke around with these things. Come on, Carrots. Throw me a bone here."

Judy looked over at the medicine bottles on the table.

"I still don't think that's such a good idea, Nick. I mean, my medicine's meant for bunnies, not foxes."

"Yeah, that means I shouldn't have any problems taking it. In fact, I might need a larger dose than you do." He pointed at himself. "Naturally bigger predator."

Judy wasn't entirely convinced, but when she thought about it, it _was_ just painkillers, after all. They probably wouldn't cause too much harm. Nodding, she grabbed the bottle marked with a blue marker and passed it to him, along with his cup of soda. He gratefully took the items from her, shaking out a few pills and popping them into his mouth while she went to pick the taser off the floor. Bending over quickly so her leg wouldn't hurt, she grabbed and tossed it towards the table. It landed unceremoniously in one of the paper bags that once contained their dinner.

"Okay, just give me a few minutes. I should be good to go soon." He passed the items back to Judy before flopping down onto her bed, closing his eyes.

"Who's taking care of who again?" Judy joked, putting the empty cup and the medicine bottle on the windowsill behind her, before sitting on the edge of her bed. "Hey Nick, scoot over a little."

"Why?"

"Because it's my bed, and that chair is pretty uncomfortable." She looked at him expectantly.

Nick hesitated for a moment. But he obliged, squeezing himself against the wall to give the little rabbit some space. He turned his head slightly to look down at her as she made herself comfortable, letting her injured leg rest flat on the bed, while her other leg hung off the edge. She went back to being engrossed in her news feed, not noticing the quiet gaze that Nick was resting on her.

Moments passed.

"Don't you find this uncomfortable?" he finally asked, looking back at the ceiling. "Your bed isn't exactly meant for two…much less one of them being a fox."

"When I was growing up, we'd fit about three, sometimes four bunnies on a bed like this. I'm used to tight squeezes," she replied, shrugging.

"Remind me to never sleep over at your place in Bunnyburrow…"

"You get used to it, really. Anyway, just relax for a while. The painkillers should work soon."

For a few minutes, the two of them just rested on her bed. Only the soft tapping on Judy's phone and the low hum of the lamp could be heard in the tiny apartment. It seemed that her neighbours had gone quiet…at least for the moment. Judy glanced at Nick in the corner of her eye. He was staring at the ceiling with his eyelids half closed, his hands resting on his chest. He seemed to be deep in thought about something.

It hadn't occurred to Judy immediately, but she eventually realised that this was the closest proximity she'd ever been with Nick ever since they first met. This close to him, she could hear and feel every breath he took. The rhythmic sounds accompanied the slow rise and fall of his chest. It was calming, soothing almost. Being next to a fox was quite different from being next to a bunny, and it was certainly an interesting experience.

Even more interesting was the fluffy appendage that was currently draped loosely in front of her right leg. She'd seen it before, sure, but she never paid this much attention to it. Her foot pressed softly against the tail, and she could feel just how soft and smooth it was. The way it puffed out slightly and how it was pleasantly warm made her hands itch. She had the sudden urge to reach out and touch it.

 _Stop, Judy, what are you thinking?! You can't just touch a fox's tail!_

And yet, it was lying right there, begging her to hug it. His eyes were closed at the moment. She wondered if she could get away with a quick feel.

"Carrots…"

Judy froze. Had Nick somehow heard her thoughts? The fox sat up shakily, opening his eyes. Judy cocked her head; Nick looked different somehow. It took a moment of light shining at his face before she realised his eyes were dilated.

"Nick?"

"Hey…Carrots?" he hiccupped. "Why don't you like people calling you cute?"

Judy blinked. Nick's words were completely unexpected, sudden. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, you are cute, and I think you're really adorable. I thought cute would be a compliment to you…" he said slowly.

Judy raised an eyebrow. What game was he playing? Was this another one of his acts?

"I don't really have a problem with the word cute. I know bunnies are naturally cute. I just don't like it when people make it sound like I can't do something because I'm a 'small and cute' bunny. That's all." She shrugged.

"Well, those people don't know what they're talking about. You're amazing, Carrots. You became the first bunny cop, saved the city, and you saved…me. You really are my best friend, Carrots. The best friend I've ever had." He sniffled slightly.

Without warning, the fox leaned forward and hugged her, holding her gently around her shoulders. Her phone fell onto the bed. She could only stare forward at the wall, mouth hanging open.

 _What._

She shook her head. _Did the taser damage his brain or something?_ She'd heard cases of people that were tased far too long developing brain damage, but he was fine a moment ago. At least, until he took the medicine…

The medicine.

"Nick...how many pills did you take?"

"Six, why?" he asked, dragging out the last word a little longer than normal.

 _Six?!_ Judy broke the hug, looking straight at his face. He was smiling gently, but there was a slightly glassy look in his eyes. Nick was definitely not himself. She reached out and grabbed the bottle of painkillers from the windowsill, holding them against the light of her desk lamp.

Upon closer inspection, she realised something was wrong. Now that she was taking a good look at them, she realised that the pills in the bottle were definitely not her painkillers. They were the same colour, but a slightly different shape. How was that possible?

Then it hit her. Her collision with Nick. The spilling of the pills all over the floor. He was the one who picked them all up, which meant that he was the one that mixed up the medicine. _Then, he ate my antibiotics?_

She quickly switched the pills back to their original containers, before grabbing her bottle of antibiotics and reading the warning label that was plastered on the back side of the bottle.

" _Warning: Overdose of medicine may cause undesirable side effects such as disorientation, uncontrollable emotions, loss of memory, and change in fur colour."_

"Is everything okay, Carrots?" Nick asked, sounding concerned.

"Y-yeah, it's fine. Everything is okay." She said, trying to calm herself. At least the side effects didn't sound too serious. "How do you feel now, Nick?"

"I feel good. A little fuzzy, but I think I'm good to go. Your medicine works great!"

"Do you remember what we did today? This morning?"

"Oh yeah! We brought your parents out, ate at a nice restaurant, Finnick laughed at me, and then I brought you to get you your badge back from Chief Buffalo-butt," he replied happily.

 _Phew. At least he still can remember things._ It looked like Nick was going to be fine. Somewhat fine, anyway. She watched him shuffle to the edge of the bed, getting up and taking a step forward.

…and then immediately falling over flat on his face.

 _Okay, maybe not._ She sighed. She grabbed the dazed fox and pulled him back onto the bed. How long was he going to be like this? The warning label didn't give a clue as to how long the effects would last. At least her police academy training taught her how to handle inebriated individuals.

"Carrots, I need to tell you something," he said, sounding a little more solemn now.

"Yes, Nick? What is it?" she asked patiently.

"Back then, after the press conference…I really missed you. I missed you so much."

"Uh huh…sure." She paused. "Wait. You…missed me?"

Nick nodded slowly.

"Every day after I left, I never stopped thinking about you. I was a mess. Even Finnick could see it. I kept thinking about what I said to you. You said you were a horrible friend, but I was just as bad. I almost attacked you! And I didn't even give you a chance to explain yourself." He clenched his fists, looking down. "I'm sorry, Carrots."

 _He's apologising?!_ Judy gasped inwardly. He wasn't just apologising, he was telling her things. Things she had a feeling he probably would never have told her otherwise. Was this one of the side effects of the overdose? _Uncontrollable emotions…_ it seemed to be the most likely case.

It was even more jarring, considering the fox was normally so emotionally unreadable. He always hid it away behind his sarcastic quips and a mask of calm indifference, never letting anyone see how he truly felt. But now…he looked vulnerable. She felt like she was seeing a rare side of him not many people had ever seen.

" _Never let them see that they get to you."_

"Nick, it's okay. It's not your fault," she assured him. She placed a hand on his arm gently. He slowly lowered himself back onto the bed, looking at the ceiling.

"I should have looked for you. I kicked myself for days trying to get myself to go up and talk to you. Make amends. But when I finally found the courage to see you, you had already left Zootopia. And then there was nothing I could do. I'm so sorry, Carrots. I was so stupid."

"Nick, wait." Judy's eyes were wide. She reached into her pocket. "What did you just say?"

"Huh? I was…stupid." His eyelids drooped slowly. "That press conference wasn't worth losing one of my true friends for. Carrots, you…you got to me. You really got to me. When I met you, and you told me I was so much more…I felt happy. Like someone really cared for me again. I'll never forget that, Carrots. I just wanted you to know that."

A soft click.

"Don't worry, Nick. I do," she said with a smile, slipping a small carrot-shaped pen back into her pocket.

She'd never thought she'd use this new carrot pen so soon. She'd pocketed it out of habit that morning, having found it in one of the suitcases her parents had packed for her. It was coming in real handy right now, she thought.

"Thank you…Carrots." Nick said, eyelids slowly closing shut. His arms went limp by his side. Judy's heart skipped a beat, but then she realised he'd just fallen asleep, probably from the medication. She exhaled, relieved. And then she found herself giggling in excitement. She'd gotten Nicholas Wilde to admit he was a dumb fox! This almost made up for all the dirt he'd dug up on her the entire day. She was definitely keeping this little carrot safe.

"You should overdose on painkillers more often, Nick," she whispered. She couldn't resist a smile after seeing her friend pour his heart out the way he did. Would he remember any of this when he woke up? Judy wasn't sure whether she preferred him to remember everything he said or not.

Nevertheless, she was glad that she got a chance to hear those words from his own mouth—even though it wasn't entirely of his own volition. Also, she was going to have a field day with the recording once he woke up—

 _Oh wait._

She gently patted his arm.

"Nick? Nick, wake up. You need to go home sooner or later, you know."

No response. He was fast asleep on her bed. And then it occurred to her: he was probably going to be out cold for the rest of the night. It was already past 10 p.m. With her leg the way it currently was, she wasn't going to be able to get him out of the apartment and back home.

 _Oh boy. What do I do now?_ She bit her lip, tapping her chin nervously.

She didn't have a car, so driving him home was out of the option. A cab was a possibility, but how was she going to get him downstairs with her injured leg? Even if she did manage to lug his sleeping mass down all the way out of her apartment and into the taxi, she only vaguely remembered his address from his case file. Still, that might have been good enough. She thought about it for a long while, staring at his sleeping form.

Then she made her decision.

But not before snapping some pictures of Nick holding her stuffed rabbits.


	7. Something Stupid

**A/N:** A realisation comes to Nick about the feelings inside him, leaving him with a big dilemma when an offer is made.

Thanks to BeecroftA, Selaxes, Aronim, Foxlover91, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, Mystic Fairy Tame, Britt30, Story . writer . 2015, Kochich, yepiwrite, luxaurorae, Benben225, 1n Rainb0ws, Sayiri the Fox, side-fish, FoxStang, Froggypie, Hebbocake, and TheCatweazle for reviewing! Also, a shoutout to all the people who've followed and favourited this story so far! I'm extremely touched by the feedback I've been getting. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Something Stupid**

" _It's okay, Nick. Everything is going to be okay."_

The gentle, reassuring voice whispered softly in his head, causing him to stir. Ever so slowly, Nick opened his eyes. He exhaled, not realising he had been holding his breath. The room was dark, lit only by dim yellow light from the streetlamps outside. They were brighter than he remembered, oddly.

This wasn't the first time the voice had spoken to him, but it had become more and more frequent lately. The voice of a person from long ago. As he moved his hands, he felt the softness of what appeared to be a bed. He paused. A bed? He shouldn't have been on a bed.

He looked to the left, seeing a familiar table and lamp, with an alarm clock sitting on top of the table. The soft green glow indicated it was just past four in the morning. There was no doubt about it: he was in Judy's room, on Judy's bed. His tie was draped over the chair; the rabbit must have taken it off him last night. But where was she?

His question was answered as he heard soft breathing coming from beside him. Shifting his body so he could get a better view, he saw her. The bunny was sitting on the floor, arms and head resting on the edge of her bed in a somewhat uncomfortable position. She seemed to be fast asleep, though.

 _She's been sleeping like that the whole night? Even with her injured leg?_

At the moment, his head was murky, like cloudy water. It was taking a while, but things were starting to come back to him now, in bits and pieces. The dinner, the tasing, the medication…he couldn't remember much of what happened after that. He rubbed his head a little harder, hoping that it would make him remember. It did not.

"What in the world happened last night…?" he whispered to himself. He half expected Judy to hear him with those oversized bunny ears of hers and wake up, shouting that it was all a prank or something. But she still remained motionless, other than the slow rise and fall of her chest. He looked over her sleeping form. Her head shifted slightly, nose twitching for a moment before it stopped.

 _Whatever happened, I must have fallen asleep on her bed. She must have taken care of me._ The sight of sleeping Judy, along with that thought, caused him to feel something he didn't want to feel.

A flutter.

He held his chest. There it was again. A fluttering in his chest. And it came after thinking about her. He told her that she was his best friend—and she was—but the fluttering seemed to indicate something more. It had been growing for a while, but after last night, where she had hugged him so affectionately, nuzzling him and thanking him for everything, he'd faltered. As hard as he tried, he still couldn't stop thinking about it. About her. He had no idea why this was happening. No, he had a feeling he knew exactly why it was happening, and he just didn't want to admit it.

He had fallen for Judy.

He closed his eyes and sighed. How could it have come to this? How could he, Nicholas Wilde, cool and collected Nicholas Wilde, have been brought to his knees by one dumb bunny? Granted, she was no ordinary dumb bunny, but still, the thought was completely absurd. A fox and a rabbit? What would she think? How would she feel if he told her, or if she found out? Awkwardness? Disgust?

He imagined himself waking up in the morning and saying 'Carrots, I think I love you' to her. Several scenarios came to mind, and none of them were good. The one that kept replaying in his head was her thinking that he was playing a prank on her and laughing till her sides hurt. Just the thought of that made him wince.

Judy shuffled gently against the bed. Nick clenched his teeth.

 _No, I can't. I can't tell her._

There was no telling what she would say, how she would react. She already freaked out about the Mystic Springs Oasis back then. And that was completely 'natural' stuff. What would she say about a fox falling in love with a rabbit? It was as unnatural as it got. And considering the bunny grew up in a traditional family and was a complete prude, he had a hunch that it probably wasn't going to end up the way he hoped it would. The idea of them ever being together in that way was just a pipe dream. Maybe if he waited it out, this little feeling would pass, and everything would go back to normal.

 _I should get her back on her bed, first._ He slowly dragged himself to the end of the bed, slipping off quietly and circling back to the bunny's side. He knelt down, placing one arm on her back, and the other under her thighs. Being careful not to move her injured leg too much, he lifted her up into the air. He was about to lower her onto her bed, but he hesitated. The bunny in his arms felt so small, so light, so fragile.

And yet, this one bunny had done so much for him. She had been a friend. She believed that he could be something more. And she had given him the chance to prove it. He was starting to understand why he had growing feelings for her.

Judy's nose twitched once more. She shuffled in his arms, before leaning her head against his chest. Nick felt his heart melting; he didn't care how much she hated the word. She was cute, adorable, and nothing could convince him otherwise. He held her closer for a moment, feeling her soft fur and her warm body pressed against his. A sigh left his lips. She would never know the truth, and that was probably for the best. Everything was currently perfect the way it was, and he had to keep it that way.

At least for now.

Nodding at his resolution, he lowered her onto her bed, setting her head down on her pillow gently. He got onto the bed beside her, pushing himself to the edge to give her more space. He silently lay beside her, watching the little bunny sleep.

* * *

 _Mmm…I miss hugging Floof. He's a lot fluffier than I remember…_

That was the first thought that came to Judy's mind as she slowly came to. Her eyes cracked open slowly. The first thing she saw was red.

 _That's odd. Floof isn't red._ She blinked, rubbing her eyes. Then she realised that there was a very strong smell all over her body that was not her own scent. And she wasn't holding Floof. That particular stuffed bunny was still leaning against the wall. She was snuggling a tail. And not just any tail, but a _fox's_ tail.

"Jeez, Carrots. Do you squeeze your brothers and sisters like this when you sleep? It's a wonder they can breathe." Nick chuckled from right beside her. She spun, letting go of his tail immediately. He was on his phone, one leg crossed over the other. His eyes left his phone and met hers, a small smile forming on his face.

"Nick! You're…ah…uh…you're awake!" Judy fumbled, quickly giving herself some space between them. _When did I…when was I…?_

"Just so you know, a tail is one of the most sensitive parts of a fox's body. We don't like it being touched." Nick gave her a look that made her shrink.

"I'm so sorry, Nick! I didn't mean to, I swear! But I don't understand. How…?" she looked around, part confused, part mortified. She clearly remembered sleeping on the floor last night. How did she end up back in her bed? More importantly, how could she have mistaken his tail for her stuffed rabbits?

But for some reason, Nick's look softened, and he chuckled.

"Relax, Carrots. It's fine, really. I woke up this morning and saw you on the ground, so I helped you back into bed. About an hour ago you reached out and grabbed my tail, and you wouldn't let go. You looked so comfortable that I decided to just let you hang on to it." He smirked, getting off the bed and stretching. "I imagine it's a lot nicer than the little stump you call your tail."

Judy looked him over. He seemed back to his old self, and his fur was still completely red, which was good. There didn't seem to be any physical ill effects lingering. But still, she wondered if he remembered anything he said from last night.

"Which makes me want to ask, Carrots." Nick continued, snapping Judy out of her thoughts. "Why were you on the ground last night?"

"Oh, like you said, my bed's rather small, and you looked kinda squished when we were sharing it last night. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Your leg is injured. I should have been the one sleeping on the floor last night."

"I don't think shoving your foxy butt off the bed would have been very nice, as tempting as it was." She rubbed her forearm tentatively. "So…you're not mad about the tail thing?"

"No, I'm not. I mean, how could I possibly be mad at this?" Nick said, holding up his cell phone. Judy cocked her head, confused. There was a picture on the screen, although it took a moment to see what she was looking at. She was looking at herself, hugging Nick's tail happily while she slept curled up like a baby.

"Nick!"

"Another thing to add to my list of 'why Judy is cute'. Wouldn't you say? I'm sure Clawhauser would fully agree."

Judy frowned at him, crossing her arms.

"Y'know, your parents left me their number before they left yesterday. I wonder what they'd say about their little bunny hugging fox tail." Nick continued, grinning.

Judy, without a word, grabbed her phone from her bedside and began tapping on it.

"That's a great idea, Carrots. I'll send it over to you. I'm sure you—" he was cut off as she shoved her own phone in his face.

Judy saw Nick blink, taking a step back to focus on the picture. The smug smirk on his face vanished instantly. He was looking at himself in her phone. The Nick in the picture had his arms wrapped around an assortment of stuffed rabbits, with a goofy expression on his face.

"I'm pretty sure 'cute fox' sells better than 'cute bunny', wouldn't you say?" Judy teased, stealing the smirk from Nick. "And if you ever dare put that picture on any part of the internet, this one is going along with it." She warned, waving her phone at him. Nick let out a small 'hmph', shaking his head.

"You set that up on me while I was passed out from the medication, didn't you? That's hardly fair game, Carrots. But this—" he held up his picture of her. "—this is all you. You've got nothing on me," he said decidedly.

Judy was unfazed. In fact, she was more than unfazed. She was delighted to hear Nick say those words. Her grin widened.

"Funny that you should say that, Nick." She reached under her bed. Nick watched her, confused. His confusion only increased as she pulled out a small orange carrot pen, and clicked it.

"What are you—" he couldn't finish as he found himself cut off. By his own voice.

"… _I'm so sorry, Carrots. I was so stupid."_

"Huh. That sounds a lot like you, wouldn't you say, Nick? All you." Judy dragged out the last bit, with as much pleasure as she could draw out of it.

Nick had nothing to say. His mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Hang on, let me play that again." She replayed the short bit again. With every word that played out, she saw Nick's eyes widen. She could've sworn she heard his heart beating faster.

"What in the world did you do to me last night, rabbit?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "And where did you get that carrot pen? I thought it was in evidence."

 _I thought so…he really doesn't remember._ A part of her was worried about the side effects of the medication, but the other part was having too much fun seeing him squirm like this. This was sweet, sweet payback for what happened with her parents a day ago.

"This was a spare that my parents brought with them in my luggage. And you don't remember, do you, Nick? What was the last thing you remembered doing last night?"

The fox's brow furrowed as he tried to recall what exactly happened.

"I was in pain…"

"...because you tased yourself." Judy interrupted, grinning. Nick ignored her.

"Then I took your painkillers. I remember lying down on your bed to rest. Then I woke up early this morning and saw you on the ground."

"Those weren't my painkillers, Nick. You mixed up my medicine, so you ended up eating my antibiotics. And why did you take six? It's no wonder you started getting all loopy and saying all those things."

Nick suddenly looked alarmed.

"Saying…things? Like what?"

Judy pressed a button on her carrot pen.

"… _I was so stupid."_

"Besides that," Nick said flatly. Judy twirled her carrot pen around her fingers, tapping her chin with it.

"Well, you said that you missed me during the three months we were apart, you wanted to look for me during that time, and…that I got to you. You said that you were happy, like someone really cared for you."

Nick looked straight at her, with an expression that Judy couldn't place.

"Was that all I said?" he finally spoke up.

"Why? Is there something else incriminating that you were wondering you said?" Judy teased, a glint in her eye.

"You wish, Carrots." Nick chuckled. He did sound relieved, though. Perhaps there _was_ something…

"So…everything that I just mentioned…did you really mean all that?" Judy asked.

"Well, you know when you're loopy or drunk, you say things you don't mean to…" he paused. "But…I guess there's some truth in what I said." He muttered softly, looking away.

Judy felt a smile growing on her face. Before he could protest, she leaned forward and gave him a quick hug.

"It was nice seeing you so open, Nick. I kinda like that side of you."

She heard him sigh in what seemed to be relief as he returned the hug gently.

"Yeah, well, that side only comes out when I'm completely overdosed with the wrong pills. I hope you had a good chat with Other-Nick, because you're not seeing him again," he muttered, eventually breaking the hug. "And I'm guessing you're not going to delete that recording unless I delete this picture of you, huh?"

"Naturally. And as long as you keep your mouth shut about what my parents told you yesterday."

Nick looked at her, amused.

"You drive a hard bargain, Judith Laverne Hopps. But considering you took care of me for the whole of last night, fine. This makes us even." He cleared his throat. "And thank you for letting me stay over last night…and not kicking me off the bed."

A smile crept up Judy's face. Maybe this wasn't the last she was going to see of Other-Nick after all.

"You're very welcome," she said, getting off the bed and stretching herself. "I hope you slept well, at least."

"Well, it was a lot more comfortable than sleeping under the bridge, that's for sure. I missed having a real roof over my head."

"I'm sure it was…" she righted her stuffed rabbits in a straight line against the wall, before she paused. "Wait, what? Did you say the bridge?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Nick replied, without giving her a glance.

"You actually stay under that run-down bridge? Like, live there? Don't you have a house?"

"Of course I do. Well, I did. Until about a couple of weeks back."

"What happened?"

"Let's just say a hustle didn't go too well, and some people almost found out where I lived. My landlord wasn't too happy with large elephants banging on his door in the middle of the night. He eventually figured it was me, and the rest should be obvious. The whole 'predators are the only ones going savage' thing didn't really help either."

"So you've been living under a bridge, with no water, food, or electricity, for the last two weeks?" Judy asked, shocked. "How do you even bathe? I don't remember seeing a river around there at all."

Nick laughed. "Carrots, have you forgotten? I've been out on the streets hustling since I was twelve. I know how to get by. In case you're ever interested in being homeless, the gym solves half your problems."

"Really? How so?"

"Just get a lifetime gym membership, and you can use their showers, fill up on water, charge your phone, and you even get free exercise to keep you in shape. I normally go to the convenience store next door for hot water for my coffee. If there's one thing I can't do without, it's a good cup. Can't have a good day without a good cup. Speaking of that, where do you keep your coffee, anyway?" Nick asked, looking around the table. He looked at the drawer right underneath. "Is it in here?"

Judy's eyes widened.

"N-no! It's not in there! There's nothing in there!" She rushed over and held the drawer shut. "I-I don't drink coffee, Nick. I'm more of a tea person," she hastily said.

"You don't drink coffee? That's madness!" Nick said, mouth falling open in horror, seeming to forget—or ignore—her sudden defensiveness. "Coffee is one of the miracles of the world! It's liquid gold!"

"It's also bitter as heck. And that's beside the point! We were talking about you and your housing. Or your lack of it, apparently," Judy said, annoyed that he'd changed the subject.

"Well, I am looking for another place to rent, but it'll take a while. People are still reluctant to rent out to a predator, much less a fox. Good job on that, by the way." He smirked. Judy huffed, choosing not to answer back to that one.

"What about here?" Judy asked.

"It's full. I already checked when we were here last night. Unless you can somehow convince the horned pair next door to move out. And they don't sound like they have any plans of leaving anytime soon."

Judy rubbed her chin in thought for a moment. An idea was starting to come to her…and when it did, her ears perked up.

"What about here? Like, here. This apartment."

"Carrots, if you're not aware, this apartment is already rented out to an overzealous lame bunny," he said, making a dramatic motion towards her with both hands. "I don't think I'll be able to rent it."

"Har har. Very funny. You know what I mean, Nick. I mean, the two of us did share this room together last night. I don't see why I couldn't let you bunk here for a while till you find a new place."

Nick blinked, his hands still stuck in the dramatic motion.

"Carrots, are you seriously asking me to move in with you?"

"I am serious, Nick. I can't let my friend go on living under a dirty old run-down bridge. That wouldn't be right."

"Yeah, the dirty old run-down apartment you're living in is much better. It even comes with a stereo sound system, à la Bucky and Pronk," Nick quipped, rolling his eyes. "But think about it for a moment, Carrots. Your apartment can barely fit your own bunny-sized stuff. How do you expect to fit a fox and all his stuff too?"

"We'll find a way. I'm sure of it. We can fit a mattress on the floor here, I can move my stuff under the bed to make room for yours," Judy said, looking around the room. "You don't need to bring everything, just the essentials. But more importantly, you'll have a place to shower and eat. How about it, Nick?"

Nick looked down at the smiling bunny in front of him, suddenly looking hesitant. He rarely ever looked hesitant.

"I…uhh…I need some time to think about this. I can't really think straight before my morning coffee."

"There's a coffee shop next door. You could get your coffee there."

"I think I will, Carrots. Be back in a few." He got up and excused himself out of the doorway. "Breakfast?"

"Sure. A lettuce and cheese croissant would be nice. Thanks, Nick."

Judy saw the fox nod, before disappearing down the hallway. The moment he was out the door, she headed over and shut the door, listening to his footsteps until she was quite sure he was actually gone. She then limped back over to the table, pulling open her drawer and delicately taking out a small red handkerchief.

"Phew. Lucky Nick didn't find you. Would kinda ruin the whole surprise thing." She mumbled to it. Nick's favourite handkerchief was finally clean and rid of her blood. She could finally see the little intricate pattern that lined the edges of the cloth. Last night had been the perfect time for her to clean it while Nick was asleep; she had the cleaning solution her parents brought over with her clothes.

She held it up to her nose and took a deep sniff, making sure that she couldn't smell any lingering scent of blood. It still smelt fresh, thankfully, with a slight hint of strawberries. She could give it back to him at any time, in any way she liked. But she wanted to make it a nice surprise, and give it to him when he wasn't expecting it.

"Today should be a good day to do it," she said, pocketing the handkerchief. Probably after breakfast, she thought. It probably depended on how Nick was going to answer her request for him to move in with her. He seemed quite hesitant ever since she'd mentioned the carrot pen recording.

 _He's just shy, that's all. He doesn't like having his feelings probed._

But was that it? There was something nagging at her. In the back of her mind, she had a feeling Nick was hiding something from her.

* * *

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Nick smacked his forehead repeatedly with a hand. "Move in with her? That's a horrible idea!"

He stepped out of the apartment complex, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He was feeling a little more lost than when he woke up, even though he finally knew exactly what happened the night before. When he heard everything that he had said in his half-conscious state, he thought his heart was going to stop. They were all truly what he felt, and he had blurted them all out to her like it was some sort of therapy session.

At least he hadn't done something stupid like saying 'I love you, Judy' or something to that effect. That would have been beyond difficult to explain. He'd gotten lucky. Real lucky. Thankfully, Judy didn't seem to suspect anything just yet. But he knew that could change, especially if he agreed to move in with her. The offer from her was quite unexpected, but it sounded exactly like something she would do.

He turned the corner, sniffing the ever familiar scent of fresh morning brew. He didn't need to see where the coffee shop was—he could probably find it with his eyes closed. The smell of roasted beans grew stronger with every step Nick took. When he stepped into the small shop, he took a deep inhale of the warm aroma and sighed. It felt like home. Home…

 _She's offering it for free, you know._ A voice in his head whispered. _It's a lot better than sleeping under that bridge._

"Me? Move in with Carrots? Yeah, move into the same small apartment as the rabbit I have a crush on. That's going to go splendid, for sure." Nick rebutted, shaking his head and heading towards the line.

 _You can't keep it from her forever, Wilde. You'll have to tell her eventually._

"No, I'm pretty sure I can keep things to myself. Been doing it for twenty years. Another twenty wouldn't hurt."

 _Two heavy secrets? You can't handle it. You could barely handle the first. You moved out from home because you couldn't lie to 'her' face anymore. You really want this weighing down on you for the rest of your life too?_

Nick rubbed his temples.

"Stop reminding me…I don't even know why I've been thinking of her so much recently…"

 _You're thinking of 'her' because you know you screwed up. It's all going to come crashing down and exploding spectacularly in both cases, and you know it. Stop this madness. Talk to Judy. Talk to m—_

"No. Nope. Not going to. I'm just going to let Judy down nice and easy. Maybe lie a little. Say that I've got an offer on the table for another house already."

 _And when she asks to come over? Are you going to spin her around, make her dizzy and hope that she doesn't notice that you're still under that bridge?_

Nick sighed.

"Ugh…that's true. "Why does this have to be so complicated?"

"Why you gotta be so noisy?" An irritated voice called out from behind him. Nick spun. An elderly ram was glaring at him with beady eyes. "You crazy, son? Talking to yourself ain't good for ya."

"Oh, my apologies, sir. I didn't mean to bother you," he said politely.

"Whatever you're mulling about, just say yes, son." The ram muttered. "It's easier that way."

"If only…" Nick chuckled.

"It damn sure is! I didn't get to where I am by bein' wishy-washy and lettin' the world slip me by, son. Why, back in my day…"

Nick managed to tune the ram out as he began launching into what sounded like an incredibly boring narrative. He knew he didn't have long to make a decision. Handing the deer cashier behind the counter several dollar bills, he grabbed his cup of coffee and a paper bag from the barista next to her. He blew gently before taking a sip. The bitter, hot black liquid flowed down his throat, giving him a much needed wake-up call. Almost instantly he felt better.

 _Everything's going to be okay. You just have to be the way you always are and keep it from her. Just don't say stupid words that you'll regret._

"Everything's going to be okay…" he whispered to himself. "Yeah…what's the worst that could happen?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I said!" the elderly ram interjected, catching Nick off-guard. "And then she died. Boy that one really got to me for years."

Nick turned and quickly exited the coffee shop.


	8. Photograph

**A/N:** A single picture leads Judy to realise that there is still much about Nick that she does not know—but definitely wants to find out.

Before we begin, I'd like to say a couple of things. First, for a dear friend BeecroftA, Happy Birthday! He is the first reviewer to Evergreen, and a contributor to several ideas in this story which you will see sooner or later. Do send him your warm regards!

Secondly, we've hit over 200 followers, 100 favs, and 100 reviews! The feedback has been incredible, so I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for your support. I hope you will continue to walk with me on this wonderful journey. Also, there is a little surprise at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!

Thanks to BeecroftA, Britt30, Landsec, car213, luxaurorae, Hebbocake, Story . Writer . 2015, Selaxes, VickyT36, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, BlueberryCarrots, zenith88, neurasthenic, Bearsbears, KD-0095, Aronim, Bukoya, side-fish, harrypottercrookshanks, and Lupineleigh for reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Photograph**

"Really?"

"Yes. I'll move in," Nick said, bracing himself for a hug. Instead, Judy grabbed his hands in glee, shaking them up and down vigorously. A part of him inside felt kind of disappointed.

"This is going to be great! Let's go get your stuff now!" Judy exclaimed, looking like she was ready to bounce out the door.

"Now, like now? I just bought breakfast. And before you offer to pay me, it's my treat. I figure I'll need to pay you rent somehow."

"After breakfast then!" Judy said, smiling broadly. "I'll help you with the packing, and hopefully we can be back quickly."

"We? What do you mean 'we'?" Nick asked, emptying the contents of the bag onto the table.

"Well of course I'm going to give you a hand! You can't possibly carry all your stuff by yourself."

"Carrots, you can barely carry yourself. No offense, but I doubt you'd be able to help much."

"My leg is healing." She huffed, standing up and walking around briskly. "See? I can walk now. I've already made up my mind, Nick, so don't bother trying to change it."

"Yeah, I figured that out by now. Can't stop the stubborn dumb bunny, even when she's wrong." He smirked. "I hope you're prepared, though. It'll be difficult to sort through my stuff."

"Eh, I'm sure it can't be that bad."

* * *

Boy was she wrong.

They were back at the bridge once more, after taking a cab down from her house. Judy had been wondering where Nick kept all his stuff, since she'd only seen a deck chair and a few other small items the last time she'd been there to apologise. It turned out that Nick had kept the majority of his items in the nearby abandoned factory, which they were now standing in. From the looks of the dilapidated interior, the place had been abandoned for a long time. They entered through a side entrance, Nick ducking to avoid a large cobweb. Judy simply flattened her ears.

The interior was surprisingly dim. The late morning sun was high in the sky, but very little light was actually passing through the grime-covered windows. There was a cool, mossy feel to the entire interior, giving the empty factory a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

"What is this place, anyway?" Judy asked. "I didn't think there'd be places like this inside of Zootopia. It's way different from downtown…"

"This used to be an industrial park. This building belonged to one of the biggest players, Instinct Incorporated. Ever heard of them?"

Judy shook her head.

"Anyway, they moved to a nicer part of town a couple of years back, along with the other players around. This place was due to be torn down and rebuilt into an amusement park last year, but you can see how that turned out."

"What happened?"

"Politics. As it always is in big cities. And now with two mayors arrested, this place is probably never going to be developed. It's a shame; I do like amusement parks."

"You do? I didn't think amusement parks were your sort of thing. You seem too old for that." Judy teased.

"Oh trust me, Carrots. You couldn't get me onto a rollercoaster even if you paid me." He thought about it for a moment. "Well, depends on how much. But my point is, I like amusement parks and carnivals for the hustling factor. Ever played carnival games?"

"Yeah, Bunnyburrow has plenty of them."

"How many times have you actually won a prize?" Nick asked, making a left turn and heading to a dark corner of the large room. Judy followed, rubbing her chin.

"Not many…"

"Exactly. Carnival games are the essence of husting." He winked at her. "Keep giving the illusion that people can actually win, and they'll practically throw money at you to try and win it."

"I'm starting to think you have some first-hand experience in this…" Judy said, raising an eyebrow. Nick chuckled, almost wistfully.

"Oh yeah. Those were the early days. Me and Finnick were quite the duo back then. Too bad people eventually caught on, and we had to scrap the hustle. It was one of our best. Anyway, we're here," he said, stopping and looking up. Judy followed his eyes up, feeling her own eyes widen. An intimidating pile of shadowy boxes sat pressed against the factory wall.

"…How did you ever get all this stuff out of your house?" Judy gaped.

"Very quickly. The landlord only gave me twenty-four hours to leave. I took what I could."

"You didn't bother to sort out this mess in the two weeks that you were out here?" Judy asked, pointing at the pile.

"Carrots, when you spend almost an entire day hauling all this stuff out onto the streets, looking for another place to stay, you don't really feel the urge to look at it again. For a long time. Besides, there's really no point in arranging it nicely when I'm just going to move it again later on."

"Yeah, but now we have to sort through this mountain of stuff. I don't even know where to start."

"I did warn you." He shrugged. "But relax, I don't need most of this stuff right now since I'm just moving in temporarily. I'm guessing about two boxes' worth of stuff should be good. Now I just have to figure out which ones they are."

"Yeah, good luck with that…" she muttered. "Is that…a TV?" Judy asked, pointing in the corner of the pile and squinting her eyes.

"Oh yeah, we're taking that. It's old, but we can probably get some good use out of it. Do you see a mini fridge anywhere? I can't remember where I left it."

"Nick, I thought we were just getting the essentials."

"These _are_ the essentials! I mean, nobody watches TV in this day and age, but it's nice to have around to have the bigger screen to hook your phone up to. Also, that fridge would solve your stolen lunch problem pretty well, now wouldn't it?"

It did sound tempting to Judy. "I guess…"

"Also, the lighting in your room is horrendous. You could use a new lamp. Oooh, how about this?" he asked, holding up a lava lamp. The wax inside jiggled in response.

"…as horrible of an idea as that sounds, it's still better than what I have," Judy said, sighing. "So where can I help?"

"Let's move some of these boxes outside first. It's too dark here to see anything. Not for me, of course, but I think you're more than likely to bonk your head at least three times."

"Thanks, Nick. That was real encouraging." Judy muttered.

"You're welcome. Alright, I think those shouldn't be too heavy. Take that one, that one, and that one over there," Nick said, pointing at each box.

"Got it." Judy nodded, heading over to the nearest one that Nick had pointed to. The medium sized box was stuffed haphazardly with an assortment of clothes. Shaking her head, Judy knelt down—still being wary of her leg—and lifted the box off the ground.

 _So far so good…_ she stepped gingerly out of the musty building and out into the late morning sun. She took a deep breath, grateful for the fresh air. It was starting to get rather warm out, though. Uncomfortably so. She picked up the pace—as much as she could manage—to get the boxes under the bridge where it was brighter. A good twenty minutes later, the last of the boxes sat in the cool shade of the bridge.

"Hey Carrots, what do you think of this?" Nick called, making the bunny turn around. He was carrying a small brown chest of drawers. "Might be good to keep my stuff in."

There was a loud crack, and a moment later, the sound of splintering wood as the entire top of the chest ripped right off. The rest of the empty chest landed on the ground with an audible thump, sending a small cloud of dust into the air.

"…Never mind." Nick tossed the broken chunk of wood into a nearby pile of grass.

Judy laughed, smiling. "So what's next, Nick?"

"Hmm…" he scratched his head, looking at her. "Here, I've got an empty box to put the important stuff in. I'm just going to sort out my pile over there. Would you mind sorting out this pile? It should be just clothes—clean, in case you're worried. I'll come back later to pick the ones I need."

"I can do that," Judy replied, nodding. Nick returned the nod and headed back over to his pile, diving back into the mess of items.

Judy returned her attention to the three small boxes in front of her. She opened the first one and started pulling out t-shirts of various colours and designs. Most of them trended towards blue and green. Not many orange or red coloured clothes, which made sense, with him being a red fox and all. She immediately began laying the clothes across the two other closed boxes and folding them at a speed that her mother would be proud of. Especially since they weren't bunny-sized clothes. It wasn't long before the contents of the first box were all folded and sitting neatly inside. She moved on to the second one, working through the pile quickly and setting it aside next to the first. Finally, there was only one box left.

She stopped for a moment to see Nick drop a few items into the large box in the middle of the pile, before walking over to her. When he saw the boxes, he stopped in his tracks, blinking.

"That was quick. How'd you fold all those clothes so fast?"

Judy couldn't resist a proud smile.

"I have over two hundred brothers and sisters, remember? Back at home we'd have daily chores, and when I say daily, I mean from morning to night. I got plenty of practice."

Nick chuckled. "Bunny life sounds tough…"

"It was better than scrubbing toilets, that's for sure." Her nose wrinkled at the memory. "Cooking, folding clothes and distributing them were some of the more popular chores."

"I still can't imagine living with so many people," Nick said, looking through the neat piles of clothes and picking out a few. "It sounds like it would be an absolute mess."

"So…like yourself?" Judy pointed out.

"There's a difference. My mess is mine to handle. I never had anyone to share it with, so it was never a problem."

"Well, you're moving in with me, so it's going to be a problem. I don't want to see this mess in my room, got it, Nicholas Wilde?"

Nick stared at her blankly.

"I'm sorry, did you say something? I'm sorry, I think your pills gave me short term memory loss," he said, grinning cheekily. He grabbed a couple more shirts and shorts, adding them to the pile in his hand.

"So if I step on your tail, does that mean you'll forget later?" Judy shot back, raising an eyebrow. Nick paused.

"…Touché." He began walking back to the large box in the center, unceremoniously dropping the pile of clothes he was carrying inside. Judy could only stare.

"Did you just completely waste the time I spent folding those shirts?" she asked, crossing her arms and frowning.

Nick looked at the box, and then back at her, raising his arms innocently.

"Hey, I just asked you to sort them by type. I didn't expect you to go folding those clothes. Relax, Carrots. I'll sort them neat and proper for you once we're at your house, okay?"

"You wouldn't last a day in my family." Judy sighed, pinching her forehead. He chuckled in response.

"And that's why I'm glad I'm not a bunny. But thanks for your help, Carrots." He began walking back over to his pile. "Why don't you just take a break or something? I don't have much left to settle."

Judy let out a little humph as he walked off, thumping the ground with her good foot. The cluttered box was sticking out like a sore thumb. Maybe that was just her family upbringing getting to her, but she couldn't understand how anyone could live as sloppily as Nick did. She stared a moment longer, unable to resist it. Stepping over to where the large box sat, she looked in and pulled a shirt sleeve out from under a stack of books to refold the clothes. As she did so, one of the books fell over, the pages flapping open.

"Whoops." Judy quickly reached in and pulled the book out, smoothing the slightly crumpled pages inside and making sure nothing was torn. As she did, something small fell out that caught her eye. It was stuck between the pages like a makeshift bookmark. Judy picked it up, turning it over. It appeared to be a photograph. It looked quite worn, the kind that usually came with age. Part of it was faded, but most of the picture was still clear. Curious, Judy stood up, holding the picture against the light.

She gasped softly.

In the photo was a red fox. In fact, upon closer inspection, Judy realised that there were two. The fox at the forefront of the photo was a kit, who couldn't have been more than nine years old. He was wearing a light green scout's uniform, with an adorable, innocent smile on his face. That had to be Nick. But the fox's eyes in the photo were bright, full of joy and hope. Nothing like the Nick she knew now. He looked so innocent, so happy.

And then it hit her.

" _I was eight, maybe nine, and all I wanted to do was to join the Junior Ranger Scouts."_

Her grip around the photo tightened. This photo had to have been taken before...that night. It could have been taken on the very day itself. She remembered Nick's words on the sky tram in Tujunga, his memories, the way he described the muzzling on that horrid night. Why was this picture here? Was this the only picture?

She quickly knelt down and rummaged through all the books that Nick had put in the box. They were mostly blank, some with small notes scribbled inside, but none were picture books. There were no other photos in the entire box. The one she was holding was the only one.

 _He kept this one photo all this while. Why?_ Judy took a quick glance over her shoulder at Nick. He didn't seem to be paying attention to her, focusing more on untangling a huge bunch of wires and cables. She looked back at the photo. She had to admit, kit Nick was absolutely precious. She wanted to run up, scoop the little fox up in her arms and snuggle him till he begged her to stop.

He already knew a whole lot of secrets about her—courtesy of her parents—but she knew little to nothing about him, other than what he'd told her back then. Was he an affectionate fox when he was small? Did he have siblings? What happened to his parents? Tilting the picture a little, Judy could see a vixen, presumably his mother. She looked pretty, dressed in a bright purple blouse and pink skirt, with a proud, motherly smile on her face. She was probably so proud that her son was going to be a Junior Ranger Scout. The first predator in the troupe.

She felt her stomach turn a little.

It was starting to eat at her now. She had to know more. The picture was telling her a thousand words, but it only gave her more questions than answers. She didn't even know if Nick would be willing to talk about it. Would he would clam up and try to change the subject, like he did whenever he tried to hide something from her?

 _Wait._

She squinted, holding the photo against the bright sunlight. Something stood out to her. Little Nick was wearing a red scarf. And it looked awfully familiar…

Judy gasped. Turning her head quickly to make sure Nick wasn't looking, she pulled out the handkerchief in her pocket and held it side by side with the picture. The colour was slightly off, but the intricate pattern that dotted the edges of the red cloth was exactly the same. The size seemed to match as well. There was no mistake: The handkerchief in her hand was the very same scarf young Nick wore around his neck as part of the Junior Ranger Scout's uniform.

" _That was my favourite handkerchief, too…"_ His voice echoed in her head.

A realisation came to Judy. He'd kept this very same handkerchief—or scarf—for more than twenty years. The gears in her head were turning quickly. Nick kept a piece of his childhood—possibly the worst experience of his childhood—with him all these years. It must have meant a lot to him for him to keep it that long. What did it all mean? And then there was that photo, and his parents, and…

She shook her head, forcing herself to calm down. She wasn't going to get any answers thinking about it like this. There was only one place she was going to get answers, and that was—

"Hello?" Nick's voice suddenly called out. Judy's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly hid the photograph behind her back, spinning to face him.

"Uh, Nick, it's not…" she trailed off when she realised he wasn't speaking to her. His phone was held to his ear, while several cables draped over his other arm.

"…Yes, this is Nicholas Wilde. How may I help you?" He asked, pressing his head against his shoulder to hold the phone in place while he used his hands to untangle the cables.

Judy took the chance to slip the photograph back into her shirt pocket, before placing the book back into the box. Nick probably wouldn't be happy that she'd rummaged through his personal stuff, but she had to know.

She needed to find out about Nick's family.

* * *

"Oh really."

Judy saw Nick cross his arms. He frowned, eyes narrowing. He did not look pleased. Not one bit. He bent down so that his eyes were level with Judy's, focusing intently in front of him. Judy stared back wordlessly, waiting for an answer. Nick said nothing, only breathing deeply as he continued to stare. The silence was slowly starting to get to her. But just as she was about to say something, Nick inhaled.

"Forget it. This isn't going to work. You should put it back."

"Put it back?!" Judy exclaimed. "Why?"

Nick straightened back up, adjusting his tie.

"The cabinet looks better next to the window. If you put it here, the door will slam into it every time we enter the room. That would get annoying, fast."

"But if we move it back, you won't have enough leg room when you sleep," Judy replied.

"And if we leave it here, you'll probably step on my tail when you wake up to go to the bathroom at night. Or maybe you'll end up cuddling it. Either way, I think I know which option I prefer."

Judy grumbled something inaudible to herself.

"Fine," she said, acquiescing. "Help me move this back."

They were back at her apartment, having gathered all the stuff Nick needed from the bridge. Judy had to admit, her apartment looked a lot more like a home after Nick's additions. A mattress was placed at the foot of her bed, complete with a pillow, a bolster, and a blanket. A TV sat on top of a solid wooden box next to her desk, on which a brand new bright lamp stood—a proper one, after some debate. There was a small cabinet to hold both their clothes, a mini-fridge right in the corner next to the mirror, and of course, a coffee machine for the caffeine-addicted fox.

Everything was quite cramped, but it felt comfortable to Judy. It sort of reminded her of her home in Bunnyburrow, the way things were arranged with deliberate care to use the limited space efficiently.

"And…we're done!" Nick said, dusting his hands off, looking around the room proudly. "And it only took us seven hours." He joked.

"That's because you couldn't decide which coffee machine you wanted to bring in here," Judy said flatly. "If I didn't stop you, we'd probably still be under that bridge. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Welcome home, Nick." Judy said, placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling.

"Heh. It's marginally better than the bridge, but it'll do." He winked at her. "This calls for some celebration, wouldn't you say?" Nick said, opening the mini-fridge and pulling out a couple of soda cans.

"Hey, when did you sneak those in?" Judy asked.

"At the same time I called for pizza. It should be arriving in say, fifteen minutes. We made good time. Gotta have pizza to celebrate the good news, too."

"Sly fox." She smirked, accepting the drink from him. "And good news? What good news?"

"Oh, I'll be busy in a couple of days. Doing my physical and mental tests for the ZPD," he said, his mouth curling up in a wry smile. It took a moment, but Judy got the hint. Her eyes lighted up.

"Nick, that's great news! So that call you got back at the bridge, it was…"

"The ZPD, yeah. Good thing they called then. They asked me to bring a whole bunch of useless documents for the tests in a couple of days. I packed them in just before we left the bridge. I know I'm supposed to be babysitting you while your leg heals, but I hope you can handle yourself while I'm gone for half a day." He grinned. Judy pushed him playfully.

"Very funny. But congratulations anyway, Nick." An idea was coming to her. "Have you mentioned the good news to anyone yet?"

"Well I think Finnick would be crushed. He was hoping I'd get right back to hustling some saps with him." Nick took a drink out of his can, before sitting down on her bed. "Guess I'll have to destroy what's left of his little hopes and dreams."

Judy sat down next to him, quite conscious of the distance between them. She didn't want to come across as overbearing.

"Yeah…I wasn't talking about Finnick. I was thinking of your…parents. Do they know that you're becoming a cop?" Judy asked tentatively, watching Nick's face for a reaction. As far as reactions went, there wasn't much from Nick. His smile faded some, and his grip around his can tightened.

But for Nick, that was definitely a big reaction.

"Oh yeah, sure I told them." He chuckled. "Well, I'll tell them…eventually."

She looked at him disapprovingly.

"Nick…you haven't told them, have you?"

"I mean, it's not a big deal. Changing jobs happens all the time. I'm sure they wouldn't be interested to hear this."

"I'm pretty sure they would when your previous job was hustling people out of their money." She turned to face him now. "Nick…that night, in the sky tram, that wasn't the whole story, was it? You didn't say what happened to your mom, or how you ended up on the streets hustling from the age of twelve. Something must have happened, right?"

Nick's response was a defeated sigh.

"You're not going to leave me alone until I tell you, huh?"

"If that gets you to tell me about it, then yes." Judy smiled softly. "Nick, you're my best friend, and I care about you. And…I admit that I am curious about this." She pulled out the worn photo from her pocket and held it between them, looking down at it. Nick looked down at the photo wordlessly.

"I found it while I was packing your stuff." Judy added.

Nick gently took the photo from her. He had an expression on his face that Judy couldn't quite place. It wasn't just sadness, but a mix of other emotions. Something that ran deep.

"Huh, look at that kit, all smiley and dumb-looking. I wonder who he is. He probably grew up to be a no-good hustler, like all the others." He smirked at her. She couldn't resist smiling back.

"No way. Look at him. He's the cutest, most sincere little fox I've ever seen. There's no way he could've turned out bad." She looked up, gazing into Nick's green eyes. "And I know that for a fact."

Nick fiddled with the picture, his eyes closing slightly.

"He probably would've, if a certain dumb bunny hadn't come along." He trailed off, thinking to himself. "Heh, you know, Carrots, you remind me of…her."

"…Her?" Judy whispered.

"My mother. She was always the optimistic sort, telling me to never give up, believe that I can do anything, change the world…all that sort of stuff. She was the sweetest, kindest, most gentle fox I have ever seen in my life. Anyone would have been lucky to have her as a mother."

"What…happened?"

Nick looked down at the photo, going silent for a moment. Judy could imagine the memories playing out in his head. And deep inside, she felt a small bit of fear. Fear of what she was going to hear from him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Nick finally turned to her and spoke up, saying three words Judy never expected to hear.

"…I ran away."

* * *

 **A/N:** This is the beginning of what will be an important part of my story. Nick's family, and the scarf that he'd kept all this while. As such, it has been wonderfully illustrated by the talented Kochich! There are actually two pictures for this chapter. One for the scene under the bridge, and the other for the adorable picture of kit Nick and his mom. You can find his profile by searching "Kochich Evergreen", or you can visit my profile for the direct links to the photos.

I do hope you will check them out, and leave a comment for Kochich to see! He definitely deserves it. Till next time!


	9. Don't Ever Forget

**A/N: A look into a Nick's past gives Judy a newfound resolution to help her friend—whether he wants it or not.**

My exams are over, and I'm back! I got a wonderful surprise from my good friend BeecroftA, who actually commissioned a piece of art for Evergreen! Done by ZiegelZeig, the picture is the artwork for Chapter 6, _I told you so_ , showing a passed-out Nick cuddling Judy's stuffed rabbits. Do take a look at it! (The link is in my profile)

Also, a Merry Christmas to all. May you all have a wonderful week to end off the year.

Thanks to BeecroftA, VickyT36, Kochich, snarkysparky, niraD, Hebbocake, Britt30, Story . Writer . 2015, Alexandre Landsec, RenegadePhantom, Khaelin02, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, Aronim, Viridi . Inanitas, Guest, 22animals, Extreme Light 9, Fluffy, side-fish, LuSilveira, Selaxes, luxaurorae, jimmy19990, lone Wonder, dariusjio, Euphonemes, Damien-Rose, Kilroy's Fury, gonekrazy3000, Tilkin, Omnitrix 12, Dk, Fox in the hen house, and KOakaKO for reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Don't Ever Forget**

" _What do you mean you ran away?"_

" _It's a long story. But if you really want to know, I'll have to tell you more about her. My mother…was the sweetest, kindest person I've ever known."_

The fox's green eyes gazed into the mirror. He held up a paw confidently.

"I, Nicholas Wilde, promise to be brave, loyal, and trustworthy," he said, reciting each word carefully.

A paw travelled down to his cheek, brushing the fur there lightly.

"You forgot 'helpful', sweetie." A calm, soothing voice said, whispering into his ear. Little Nick's ear twitched in response, and he looked up in the mirror at the red fox, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't forget, mom. I was…just testing you to see whether you knew what the oath was."

The older vixen raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. She folded her arms across her purple blouse, cocking her head playfully.

"I think the oath should include 'honest', because you're not being very honest right now, Nicholas. If you forgot the word, just admit you forgot it."

"…nah. I still say it's a test." Nick replied, grinning. A wry smile began to grow over the vixen's face herself. She leaned towards him, looking at his face through his reflection in the mirror.

"Oh really?"

By the time Nick picked up on the meaning of her words, it was too late. In a flash, she had her hands on his sides, and began tickling them while keeping a firm grip on his midsection.

"Nooooo!" he squealed, as nimble fingers danced across his sides and tummy, bringing him to his knees, and then onto the ground.

"Still want to be a smarty-fox?" his mother teased, refusing to let up.

"S-stop!" his hind leg kicked uncontrollably, while he struggled in vain to escape the tickling torture that she was putting him under. "Okay, you win! You win!"

"Hmm? I don't think I heard you clearly, Nicholas Piberius Wilde. What did you say?" she asked, continuing to tickle him in a spot right under his ribcage.

"I was wrong! I forgot the words! Ahhhh!" he squirmed, flopping about like a fish out of water.

"I thought so," his mother replied triumphantly, finally letting him go. The spent fox collapsed onto his back, panting. He raised a finger into the air.

"N-no…fair…" he wheezed.

"Of course it's not fair. I'm your mother," she replied, smiling. "Now come on, you're going to crumple your uniform if you lie on the floor like that."

With one swift motion, she held him under his arms and pulled him to his feet. Nick twitched, trying to suppress any further giggles that were threatening to leave his mouth.

"Oh, your scarf is a little loose, sweetie. Let me fix that for you," she said, kneeling down to his eye level to adjust it.

"It's not a scarf, mom." He huffed. "It's called a neckerchief. There's a difference."

"Mmhm. It's still a scarf to me, sweetie."

Nick rolled his eyes. Then he noticed her giving him the same sly look from a few seconds ago. Instantly he felt himself shrinking.

"Okay it's a scarf!"

"Yup. And don't you forget it. I know I'll never forget this lovely little spot here that makes your leg twitch like mad." She pressed a finger gently in the same spot, making Nick yelp and jump a foot into the air.

"Mom!" Nick whined.

"Aww, don't be like that, dear. Your mommy is just so proud that her little boy is going to be the first fox in the scout troupe! I couldn't be happier." She ruffled the fur on his head. "Also, you look adorably handsome in your little uniform."

"C'mon, mom, I'm not little anymore, you know." Nick whined. "Think of what the other scouts would say if they saw you acting all mommy-like to me."

"Well I bet they would be absolutely jealous. One hundred percent." She bopped him gently on his nose. "And you'll always be my little Nick. That will never change."

Nick looked straight into his mom's eyes. They were still playful, but Nick knew that she meant every word that she said. He let himself smile a little as she gently grasped his hand.

"Now c'mon, let's try the oath again." She held his hand up it up. They both looked in the mirror at each other. Nick could practically feel the pride and happiness radiating from his mother. There was no way he could stay mad at her when she was like this. And even more, it brought a warmth to his heart that nothing else ever could. With her, he felt strong.

"I, Nicholas Wilde, promise to be…"

* * *

"…That was my mother, in a nutshell."

Nick leaned back against the wall of Judy's apartment, resting with his hands behind his head. He was staring at the blank television, looking at his blurred reflection with a sort of odd interest.

"She sounds wonderful," Judy said, unable to resist a small smile from growing. "You know, she was right. What's her name, by the way?"

"Evie. Evie Wilde. What do you mean she was right?"

"You look absolutely adorable in your little scout uniform," Judy said, reaching out to tilt the photo towards her. "…Hey, Nick. Can I ask you a question?"

"If the question is where the ticklish spot on my body is, I'm not telling you." He replied flatly. Judy rolled her eyes.

"As much as I would like to know your funny spot, Nick, that wasn't my question. This scarf…"

"Neckerchief." Nick corrected.

"Don't you go starting that again!" Judy exclaimed, pointing a finger at the grinning fox. "Unless you're asking for a good tickling…"

The cheeky grin vanished. Nick immediately recoiled, his tail shooting up defensively.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Actually, I would. I've tickled over two hundred of my brothers and sisters into submission. You'd just be another one on the list. But coming back to the point…" she held up the picture of his younger self.

"The red neckerchief in the picture…isn't it the same one you always carried around with you? The one you used on my leg back at the museum," Judy asked, showing him said picture.

That was enough to make Nick blink in surprise.

"Huh. So you noticed, Carrots." Nick finally replied, slowly lowering his tail—although he still looked wary. "Yeah, it's the same one. Was, anyway. I'm guessing the doctors cut it up when they worked on fixing your leg."

 _So it is the same!_ Judy shouted triumphantly in her head. She had been all but convinced at that point, but official confirmation was always good. She did her best to maintain her calm expression though.

"Yeah…sorry about that, Nick. I didn't know it meant that much to you. May I ask why you kept it all this time? Even after what happened with the Junior Ranger Scouts?"

Nick brought his legs up onto the bed, swirling what was left in his soda can back and forth, before taking the photo back from her once more.

"Long story short, I kept it because of her. Because of my mom. We weren't that well off when I was small. It was just me and her, since my dad disappeared when I was small. She had to work really hard to support us, put food on the table, and pay the bills. But she still set aside her money for me, for this uniform." He set his drink down. "I couldn't just throw it away, even though I never wanted to go back after that night. So I kept it with me."

Judy nodded. So far, everything made sense to her. She was tempted to pull the neckerchief out right there and then to surprise him with it. But the three words Nick said were still nagging at her. She decided to hold it for now.

"Nick…I know it's not a comfortable topic, but…could you tell me more about what happened that night? What did you tell your mom? What did she say? Was that when you ran away?" Judy asked, knowing that she was treading on thin ice.

And yet, Nick merely chuckled.

"Relax, Carrots. One thing at a time. If you want to know what happened that night, well…I didn't even want to go home that night. I wasn't sure what I was going to tell her. In fact, I wanted to keep it from her completely…"

* * *

" _Of course, things don't always go according to plan."_

Nick blinked. He knelt on the ground and stared at his reflection in a puddle by the side of the road, gently rubbing his eyes. He then opened them wide, looking carefully into the whites of his eyes.

 _They're still red…_

His hands unconsciously travelled to his mouth. The muzzling hadn't physically hurt all that much, but he still felt the residual sting where the muzzle had pressed against his fur. As he stared at the forlorn, miserable fox in the puddle's reflection, his pale green uniform caught his eye. It was all dirty from what happened earlier. What would his mom say? She was so proud of him for finally becoming a junior ranger scout. How could he face her now?

Nick held his head in his hands. He didn't want to think about it right now. He was exhausted, completely drained. He could think about what to do in the morning. For now, he just had to avoid talking to his mom. At least for tonight.

Finally mustering enough courage, he stood up and took the final few steps towards his house. He closed his eyes, and then pressed the doorbell.

 _Here goes…_

A second passed. Then two.

He heard the door swing open.

"Sweetie! How was it?" his mom's gentle, yet excited, voice called out at him. As tempted as he was to open his eyes, he kept them shut.

"Ugh, it was exhausting, mom. I just wanna sleep right now. But it was great! They had a tough initiation session and all that for the new members," Nick said, stepping in and wrapping his arms around her in a hug. He was glad to feel her arms warmly holding him back. Soon he broke away, yawning widely.

"An initiation session?" Worry seemed to seep into her voice. "I hope they didn't do anything too harsh…I heard some bad stories about these kind of things…"

"Nah, it was fine. Nothing I couldn't handle. Like I told them, I was born ready for this kind of thing." He puffed out his chest proudly, but he felt a sudden wave of dread rush over him. The mocking laughter of the other scouts echoed in his head. Something was welling up behind his eyes. He clenched his fists.

He heard a gasp.

"Sweetie, what happened to your clothes? They're all dirty. Were you rolling on the ground or something?" she asked. Nick could already imagine the frown on her face.

"Oh, that was part of the test. Had to do some exercises to prove I was worthy, y'know. Don't worry, mom. It'll come out in the wash."

 _Don't show it don't show it…_

"Anyway, I'm gonna go bathe and change out, alright, mom?" he said, doing his best to smile tiredly. He opened his right eye just a crack to see the stairs, before taking the first step up. When he was sure that his mom couldn't see his face, he finally opened his eyes.

"Okay, sweetie. Don't forget to pick up your clothes after you're done."

"I got it!" he called out. He took each step slowly and casually, trying not to rush. That would probably have given it away.

The moment he turned the corner, his hands flew to his eyes to wipe away the forming droplets that he'd fought so hard to hold back. He hadn't expected that to happen. He thought he'd exhausted all his tears, but it looked like he wasn't quite done just yet. He ran into his room, closing the door quickly behind him before letting out a small sniffle.

 _At least she didn't notice anything._ He unbuttoned his shirt and loosened the neckerchief from around his neck, before tossing both onto his bed. Seeing them just brought the bad memories back again, replaying in his head like a broken record.

" _Did you think we'd trust a fox without a muzzle?"_

" _You're even dumber than you look!"_

"Stop it…stop it…" he willed, squeezing his eyes shut. Something was rising in his throat. He sniffled again, coughing softly this time. And then he heard the one thing he never wanted to hear.

"…Nicholas?"

The pain was gone, instantly replaced by fear. He jumped to his feet to do something, but by then, the door had already swung open.

He came face to face with his mother.

A second passed. It only took her that long for her eyes to widen in concern. Nick quickly turned away, but he knew it was too late. She'd already seen enough.

"U-uh, y-yeah mom?" he stuttered. _Stupid! You can't even control your voice!_

He waited for her response. A hundred different possibilities were already playing out in his mind.

" _Nicholas, what's going on? Are you crying? Are you trying to hide something from me?"_

Whatever it was, he had to think of a good reason to tell her. Tell her he'd lost his wallet, or failed the test or something. Anything but—

He felt a hand on his shoulder, gently turning him. He didn't resist. His mom was on her knees, looking straight into his eyes. There was no contempt, no anger. Her eyes darted across different parts of his body, looking around in a half-panic, half-worried manner. She felt around his face, his shoulders, and his chest, seeming to look for any signs of an injury on his body.

"S-sweetie…" Her voice was shaky.

And that was enough to break the dam. Hiccupping uncontrollably, Nick squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his fists. He couldn't hold it in anymore, letting the last reserves of his tears flow down his cheeks. He sobbed, giving in to the pain and sorrow, knowing deep down inside that things could never be the same again.

"M-m-mom, I…I…"

Soft, warm arms wrapped themselves around him. For a moment, he was weightless, and it took a while to realise that his mom had scooped him up in her arms. But he didn't care how humiliating it looked. At this point, she was there, and that was all he wanted.

"I…it's okay, sweetie. Everything's going to be okay…" she said, pressing her head down against his and holding him tight.

For the first time in his life, Nick didn't believe her.

* * *

"Somehow, she knew, even though I tried my hardest to hide it from her. Moms have this freaky power, you know?" Nick said. "I ended up bawling it all out to her like a baby. Definitely not one of my prouder moments." he laughed.

Judy stared in silence. How could he laugh when talking about something so emotional? That was Nick, she guessed. Still…

"What did your mom do after you told her?"

"Well, I don't remember exactly, but I know she was pretty upset. She called the Scoutmaster first thing in the morning to tell him about what happened that night."

"And the kids that muzzled you?"

"Turns out that they lied about me to the Troupe leader after I ran out that night. They told him that I decided not to show up, and that I wasn't interested. Of course, nothing happened to them, because they denied doing anything. But it didn't matter. Even if they got what they deserved, I wasn't interested in going back." Nick said nonchalantly. Judy's ears drooped.

"Why not?" she asked, even though she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"Sure, those mammals that muzzled me were stupid and bigoted, and they completely deserved to be put in their place. But it didn't mean that they were wrong about how people felt about foxes. I knew I was never going to be accepted, so I refused."

"And your mom was okay with that?"

"Of course not. She tried her hardest to get me to change my mind, to 'show them that I wasn't like the foxes they thought I was'. But…"

"But…?" Judy parroted, looking at him intently. A frown began to cross Nick's face as he continued staring at the photo.

"I didn't come around. And as I grew up, I saw with my own eyes, just how much people hated foxes. That included my mother. She worked three dead-end jobs because nobody would take a fox—much less an uneducated one—for a proper job. I still remember when one of her bosses accused her of stealing money from the cash register. She didn't do it, of course, and they had no evidence whatsoever. But they still decided that she did it, and fired her on the spot, because hey, who else but the fox could have stolen the cash, right?"

Nick's voice was still calm, but Judy could sense an anger bubbling deep within him. She never knew. What must it have been like, to grow up with so much distrust? She couldn't imagine how Nick—or any fox, for that matter—could have lived through that sort of life.

"That's horrible…" Judy said.

"Yeah, and you know what the worst part was? She never gave up. She continued believing in people, telling me to show all the other people that I could be more than just the dishonest fox they assumed I was. But I could easily see the truth for myself, through her. People were never going to trust foxes."

Judy was silent for a moment, looking down at the ground.

"…Was that when you started hustling?"

"No. Not yet. I didn't start till a few years after the Junior Ranger Scouts incident. Up to that point, I'd been the sweet, charming little fox you and my mom like to think I am."

That brought a small smile to Judy's face.

"You are, Nick. Minus the 'little' part."

"And the 'sweet', and the 'charming'," Nick said. "Anyway, something happened when I was twelve. I came across a wallet that someone had dropped, which had a lot of money in it. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. I was so happy. We could have kept ourselves afloat so much longer without her having to work herself the way she did. I bought lots of groceries for the house, sweets for myself, and a beautiful necklace for her to celebrate. But when I got home and surprised her with it, she was horrified."

"Horrified?"

"Yeah. She returned the necklace, and then she went with me to return the wallet to its owner with all the money replaced. She even paid for all the sweets I'd bought out of her own pocket. I don't even understand how she could have turned down free cash when we were already struggling. You remember how I said I'd never let anyone get to me?"

"Yeah, why?" Judy asked.

"Well, it's kind of hard to not let it get to you when the owner of the wallet you're returning shouts at you and accuses you of stealing it in the first place."

"What?!"Judy exclaimed, her smile vanishing. Nick nodded.

"Yeah, he did. He said he was going to call the police on us for being lowlife fox thieves. I was so mad, I wanted to punch his face in. But of course, she stopped me. That's just the kind of person she is. I was still furious when I got home."

* * *

" _And that was the night everything changed."_

"Why?! Why would you defend him?!" Nick yelled, storming through the front door. A weary-looking Evie followed him in, shutting the door behind her less-than-gently.

"Nicholas, you can't just punch him because you didn't like what he said. You could get arrested for that!"

"I don't care! He had it coming! Did you hear what he said?! He said I must have stolen it! He said it was typical of a fox! And then he said that I learned it from _you!_ How could you let him say that?!" Nick slammed his fist against the dining table. It hurt.

"He's old, Nicholas. He didn't know what he was saying—"

"He didn't deserve to get his wallet back! That old, fat, disgusting slob!" he held his tongue when he saw his mother's face. He still glowered at her, fist trembling.

"Even if he was rude, returning the wallet was still the right thing to do, sweetie," his mom replied, speaking slowly, probably in an attempt to calm him down.

"You always say that, mom! But why do we even do the right thing?! Look how everyone treats us! Treats you! We could have used that money, too…you could have quit one of your jobs and spent some time home for a change!"

"This isn't about me, Nicholas. Keeping the money wouldn't have been right!"

"So what, huh? What if I don't want to be this perfect good little fox you keep telling me to be?! I spent so much time using the money to make our lives better…didn't it mean anything to you?" he asked, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. "And when I stood up for you, you made me apologise to him!" he shouted, breathing shallowly.

His mother walked over to him, kneeling down on the ground in front of him.

"Sweetie, I appreciate everything you've done for me. But you need to understand that keeping the money would be stealing. I don't want you to become like one of those foxes." She reached out to hold his hand, but Nick slapped it away, a lot harder than he expected. It was enough to make her recoil.

"Everybody already thinks I'm one of those foxes! And you know what? I would rather have been a horrible, dirty fox that kept the wallet and actually made our lives better, rather than be accused of being a thief and humiliated by a stupid old goat!"

"Nicholas! Don't say that!"

"I don't care! I hate you! I wish I'd never listened to you, because maybe then we would actually have a better life!" he screamed at the top of his voice, storming up the stairs, leaving his stunned mother behind.

Nick stomped into his room, slamming the door as hard as he could. The anger was still burning inside him, making his head throb dully. With a groan, he jumped onto his bed and screamed into his pillow, pounding his fists onto the bed. At least that hurt less than pounding it against the table.

He waited for his mother to eventually follow him into the room and chew him out for screaming at her at point blank range. But a few minutes of silence passed, and nothing happened. Only the soft tick of the clock let him know that time was still passing. She was taking too long. Far too long. And then he heard it.

A quiet cry.

His ears perked up and began twitching immediately. Getting off the bed, he crept over to the door. A few muffled sounds passed through the door, but he couldn't make them out. He was starting to have a sinking feeling in his stomach. Gently twisting the doorknob, he pulled the door open, being careful not to make too much noise.

There was no one there.

It seemed that his mother was still downstairs. He continued tiptoeing until he reached the stairs. From the top, he could see his mother sitting on the living room couch, holding her head in her hands. She was whispering to herself, as if praying. Nick strained his ears to hear what she was saying.

"Dear, I don't know what to do. Please, please tell me what to do…I think I'm losing him…" she finally said, between sobs.

A chill ran down his spine. Nick had never seen his mother cry before. Ever.

Slumping to the ground, Nick held his own head in his hands.

 _What have I done…?_

* * *

The photo fell to the bed. Nick left it there.

"That was the first time I made my mother cry. And I told myself that I never wanted to do that to her again. That was when I decided to lie. About everything. The next morning, I apologised and told her I didn't mean what I said, and that I was going to continue to be honest, like she wanted. She seemed to feel better, and that's all I wanted. But it was all a bunch of lies, because eventually I became everything she never wanted me to be. A hustler, a no-good fox that swindled naïve saps—like you—out of their money."

"Nick, that's not…hey!"

"I lied to her ever since I was twelve, Carrots. That's almost twenty years. The lies started small. Things like 'I'm volunteering part-time at the carnival' and 'I need to work on a school project with my friends', when I was actually pulling off hustles. I couldn't let her find out about it. She would never forgive me for not only lying to her for so long, but going against everything she believed in. I even spent more time away from home so she wouldn't have the chance to probe into it."

He pulled out his phone, casually glancing at the time before continuing.

"Then the lies got bigger. I spent more and more time away from home. I told her I was accepted into a college in the middle of Zootopia, and later on, that I got a job as a consultant. I eventually moved out for good, and I never went back. That was ten years ago."

 _So that's what he meant by running away…_ Judy thought to herself.

"You never spoke with her ever since you left?" she asked. "Not even once in ten years?"

"Oh no, I still spoke with her…maybe once, twice a year. Usually to wish her happy birthday and stuff like that, or to tell her that I wired some money to her bank account. But I never met her in person, and I have no intention of starting now."

Judy was stunned.

"Nick, she won't be angry at you. I'm sure she still loves you a lot, and I'm sure she would understand why you never called her all this time. I know she'll be proud to hear that you're becoming a police officer."

Nick laughed dismissively.

"Not happening, Carrots," he said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Judy fired back.

"Because she already gave up on me a long time ago—"

"—You don't know that!" Judy interjected, sitting upright.

"…If you would let me finish, yes, I do know that. Two years ago, she called me. She said she was tired of me trying to avoid her. She told me to either come down to see her, or stop calling completely."

Judy had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"And what did you say…?" she asked.

"…You should know the answer to that, Carrots. She doesn't want to forgive me, and that's the end of that." Nick stood up, dusting his shirt off. "I'm going."

"What? Where are you going?" Judy said, alarmed. She stood up immediately with him.

Nick turned his head, pointing a thumb behind him.

"Pizza's here. I'm gonna go pick it up."

 _Oh,_ Judy said to herself. She had been so focused on him that she'd forgotten all about the surprise pizza that he'd ordered to celebrate him getting into the academy.

"Nick wait. Please, just give it a chance. Your mom—"

"Carrots." Nick stopped in his tracks, turning his head. He looked dead serious. "That's enough. Just drop it, okay?"

Judy's ears drooped behind her head. Slowly, she nodded her head.

"All right, Nick. I won't ask about it anymore."

The fox's expression softened.

"Thanks, Fluff-butt. We're supposed to be celebrating, so don't let it get you down, alright?" His usual smirk returned to his face. "I'll be right back."

With that, Nick's bushy tail slipped past the door. Judy frowned, thumping her foot on the ground. She didn't like what she had just heard. Not one bit. How could Nick be so stubborn?

 _There's no way Nick's mom would just give up on him like that. No way._

She had a feeling there was still something she was missing. Something Nick wasn't telling her. And Nick didn't look like he was going to be telling her anytime soon. If that was the case…

 _He's not the only one who can be stubborn._

She pulled out the neckerchief from her pocket. She was supposed to have passed it back to Nick as a surprise, after he told her why it meant so much to him. But now, she had a change of plans. She was going to need to hang on to it a while longer.

She would need it if she was going to find Nick's mother.


	10. Determination

**A/N: A stubborn bunny tries to get a phone number out of an unwilling fox…in more ways than one.**

I'm back! Exams are over, and I finally have time to write again. First of all, the picture for Chapter 6, titled "Plushies", was coloured by a talented artist named **zl0tty** , and it really blew me away. The link to the picture is in my profile page. I implore you to check out their work!

And of course, thanks to Froggypie, emotionalsinusoide, patrickharris98, WhyNotBoth, DarthJosky, sensoray, Stubat, Twinboy1995, tOSdude, Zodoro, zenith88, Euphonemes, Story . Writer . 2015, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, Omnitrix 12, Shak112, side-fish, Britt30, Heyren, ShirQuickpaw, EverestHQ, BeecroftA, VickyT36, and Fox in the hen house for reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Determination**

"…How's the pizza?"

Judy looked up from her plate. Some of the cheese was drooping off the edge of the crust and onto the plate.

"Oh, yeah, it's great, Nick. I think it's drowning in cheese, though…"

"But that's the best kind of pizza! Cheese and tomato sauce and herbs…what more could you ask for? Well, besides a nice chunk of meat, of course." He smirked.

"Haha, yeah," she replied, forcing a smile. Judy wasn't particularly interested in entertaining his requests for her to try meat. She tried not to make it too obvious that she was staring at him in the corner of her eye. Rather, the item on his lap. His phone. Nick had told her to drop the issue of his mom, but she had no intention of letting it go. If he wasn't going to talk to her, she was.

And that meant getting her hands on his phone.

At the moment, Nick was seated on his mattress on the floor, by the foot of her bed. He was leaning against the wall, which meant she didn't have a direct view of his screen. That probably would have been hoping for too much. Still, from where she was sitting, by tilting her head slightly, she could barely make out what he was looking at. It looked like some news website, but she couldn't be sure.

 _All I need is her number. She must have a cell phone or a house phone,_ she thought to herself.

"Hey Nick, do you have my number?" she suddenly blurted out loud, before slapping herself in the head mentally. _Too soon too soon!_

The red fox looked up from his phone, blinking.

"Why Carrots, it's a little too early to be asking for my number, isn't it? I mean, we barely know each other yet," he said, smirking. "Also, people normally wait until the end of the dinner and drinks to ask for a number. Haven't you been on a date before?"

"First of all, we are not on a date, Nick—"

"You're probably right. I've already moved in." He interjected. "So when's the wedding?"

Whatever Judy had been planning to say was lost completely after that statement. She shook her head, trying to get the sudden images of her in a wedding gown out of her mind.

"Look, you don't have my number, right? I'm just saying that not having each other's number is kind of surprising, after everything we've been through."

"I suppose that's true." Nick shrugged. "So what's your number?"

"You can just pass me your phone, and I'll key it in. Your hands are dirty at the moment, right? Mine are still clean."

Looking to the side, Nick grabbed a napkin with a hand, crumpling it unceremoniously to clean some of the grease off.

"Problem solved. So what was it again?"

 _Drat._ "Never mind, I'll just leave you a missed call," Judy said, tapping on her phone and trying not to look too disappointed. Nick's phone began vibrating, and he gave a thumbs up, before returning to his pizza slice.

 _Okay, different plan. I'll just wait for him to leave his phone unattended, and then I'll quickly check the number._

She nibbled at her pizza, taking care not to let the copious amounts of cheese land on her t-shirt.

"So where's this pizza from again, Nick?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, it's a place called Chewy's. Quaint little place in Little Rodentia. It's really popular with the working crowd."

"Wait, this pizza came from Little Rodentia?" Judy asked, surprised.

"You'd be surprised at what a determined rat can do. Especially cooking food for larger mammals. I think there was a movie on it once. Anyway, me and the chef go way back."

Nick stuffed the last bit of crust into his mouth, sucking his fingers off one by one with a contented smile on his face.

"Ugh, really, Nick?" Judy asked, giving him a look.

"It's practically mandatory when you eat Chewy's," Nick retorted, mouth half full. "Don't worry, I'll wash my hands. I know how fussy you are about this sort of thing…"

Judy watched him stand up—without his phone. Dabbing his mouth with the used napkin, he headed towards the door. Judy had to do everything in her power not to lunge at his phone right there and then. She waited till he was out of the room, counted to five, and then practically jumped at it.

"All right, let's see…"

INPUT PASSWORD

Instantly her shoulders—and ears—slumped. She didn't have an idea as to what his password could possibly have been. She stared at the screen for a while blankly.

"I need to try something," she finally said, shaking her head. She punched in the numbers 1-2-3-4.

INCORRECT PASSWORD

 _Of course it wouldn't be that easy._ She then punched in 4-3-2-1.

INCORRECT PASSWORD

She bit her lip. The next incorrect try would probably lock the phone out for a while, and Nick would definitely know what was going on if he saw that. She thought about what numbers he would possibly use as a password. Birthday date? It was possible, but she couldn't remember his exact birthday off the top of her head. Maybe the year he was born? That was also possible.

Her ears suddenly perked up at the sound of footsteps. Nick was coming back! She decided to leave the phone where it originally was, just in time to see the red fox pushing the door open. Judy quickly got back onto the edge of her bed, taking a big bite of her pizza slice and pretending to look at her own phone.

 _Just act natural…_

In the corner of her eye, she watched as Nick flopped onto his own mattress, leaning against the foot of her bed. He didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary with his phone, which was relieving. She then heard a click as the screen came back on. This was it. This was her chance. She tried her best not to make it too obvious that she was craning her neck.

 _6…4…2…5!_ She yelled in her head. Her eyeballs were starting to hurt from the way she was straining them. But she didn't care. She had his password.

"Say, Carrots?" Nick suddenly spoke up. Judy's head snapped back so fast she thought she would get whiplash. Fortunately she managed to save her plate from falling off her lap and spilling pizza all over her bed.

"Yes, Nick?" she replied, as coolly as she could muster.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad are the showers here?" he asked, continuing to tap on his phone. He was standing up now.

"Well, I can't really speak for the guys' showers, now can I? But if it's anything like the girls', I guess I'd say…a six?"

"Six, huh?" Nick replied, tapping his phone against his chin. "So, if it's six by country bunny standards, it probably means it's really a three. Well, time to see how bad it actually is."

Standing up, he plucked his toiletries bag and towel from the inside of the small cabinet, whistling as he did so. It wasn't long before he was out of the room again. Her heart thumping slightly faster, Judy waited till the sound of his footsteps disappeared down the hallway before she jumped back down to his mattress.

The lock screen came to life, presenting Judy with the number pad. She began punching in the numbers.

"6…4…2…5." She whispered to herself, feeling a tingle under her skin.

INCORRECT PASSWORD

"What?!" she almost blurted out loud, stopping herself before it got too loud. It didn't make any sense. She was absolutely sure she saw the numbers correctly. How could the numbers have been wrong? She quickly punched the numbers in again.

INCORRECT PASSWORD

 _How could it be?_ Her vision couldn't have been failing her; she was too young for that to happen. She was a hundred percent sure that she saw the right numbers. Even the movement of Nick's hand suggested that the password was 6425. That could only have meant…

"Yeah, I changed the password."

Judy's blood ran cold. The ever too familiar voice came from just outside the door. And the footsteps she was now hearing were decidedly his. She slowly turned, to see a red fox in the doorway, his arms folded. He was frowning slightly.

 _How did he get back so fast!?_ She didn't even hear him coming back.

"I pretended to walk to the bathroom," Nick replied, as if reading her thoughts. "I wanted to see whether my suspicions were right. Looks like they were."

"You…knew?" Judy said, feeling rather small. Nick walked in now, arms still folded. She was starting to feel like a kid caught red-handed with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Well, no, I didn't know exactly, but you trying to sneak a peek at my password was pretty obvious. C'mon, Carrots, you should have at least waited a little longer, or peeked out of the hallway to make sure I was really gone. You've got a lot to learn about hustling." he smirked.

She knew he was joking, but at this point, she couldn't really say anything meaningful in response.

Nick sat down on the ground beside her, gently taking his phone back from her. He stared at it a moment, before tapping in his new password.

"…So, are you going to tell me why you're so desperate to get your hands on my phone, or should I say it?" he asked.

Judy exhaled.

"I was…trying to get your mom's number," she finally admitted.

"Yeah, I figured," Nick replied, crossing his legs and sighing. "Look, Carrots. I know you really want me to patch things up with my mother, but you're just overreacting and being the rash bunny you always are."

Judy felt her ears drooping.

"This is my problem," he said, lowering his head to her level now. "I'll fix it my own way. But I really need you to promise me that you're not going to push this issue any more." He placed his hand over his chest. "This is my problem, not yours."

 _Which means you're not going to do anything about it._ Judy told herself in her head. Nick's words were doing little to reassure her, especially considering what he had told her earlier about how he knew his mother had given up on him.

"Carrots."

She looked up at him now.

"I need you to promise me," he continued. "Really promise me that you're not going to push this any further."

Judy frowned, locking her gaze with his. Eventually, she broke the gaze first, sighing deeply in defeat.

"Alright, Nick. I promise I'm not going to push this any further. Bunny's honour," she said, raising up her right hand.

Nick looked somewhat more satisfied now, nodding.

"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I have a one-star bathroom to patronise. He left his phone on his pillow once again, before leaving the room, presumably heading for a bath for real this time.

 _Sorry, Nick…_ Judy thought to herself, uncrossing her ears from behind her head. _But all bunnies know that bunny honour doesn't count when your ears are crossed._

Nick's phone was no longer an option, but she had other ways to get the info she needed.

* * *

"I'm off."

Judy looked up from her table. Morning light was beginning to pour in through her window, brightening her room. Nick was adjusting his tie to make himself look neat and proper in front of the full-length mirror. Well, full-length for a bunny anyway. True to his word, Nick had actually made his bed and kept all his toiletries, although he had moaned about it the whole time.

"Did you remember to take everything with you?" she asked.

"Only the most useless documents of the lot," Nick replied. "You'd think that in this day and age, you'd be able to submit these things electronically."

"Not everyone is tech savvy, Nick. Did you bring your driving license?"

"Nope, don't have one," Nick said, slinging his haversack over his shoulder. Judy did a double-take.

"What do you mean you don't have one?"

"It means what it means, Carrots. I don't drive."

"B-but, your hustling…the popsicles, and the van…"

"All Finnick. I'm the brains of the whole operation. He's just there to drive around and look cute. Y'know, you do a good job with your joke-mobile. How would you like to be our driver?"

"Not interested, Nick. I have better things to do than to ferry a couple of foxes around Popsicle hustling." Judy rolled her eyes.

"Then how about the 'looking cute' part? I think I have an elephant costume in your size.

A crumpled ball of paper sailed through the air, bouncing off Nick's head and into the trash can next to him.

"You need a license to be a police officer, dumbo."

"Hey now, don't insult the elephants. Anyway, it's no big deal. I'm sure they'll train me on the job."

"You need a license to be _accepted_ into the academy, Nick. They're not a driving school. Why don't you have a license, anyway? You're like what, thirty?"

"Thirty-two," He corrected, raising a finger. "But yeah, me and cars don't mix that well."

"Why not?"

"Let's just say Finnick's busted van is busted for a reason. He's never let me behind the wheel since then."

"That's a problem…" Judy muttered. "What about Flash?"

"Eh, he's been working on prepping lessons for me."

"And how long ago was that?" Judy asked. Nick looked at her, smirking. She sighed. "…never mind."

"We'll worry about it later, Carrots. Interview and tests first, then license. I'll be back in the evening, after I run a few errands."

With a final wave, Nick was out the door. The thump of his feet faded as he walked down the hallway. Once she was sure he was gone—and she made absolutely sure this time—she reached under her bed and pulled out a change of clothes, along with her straw hat that she normally wore back on the farm. She was glad her leg didn't hurt too much today. She had some walking to do.

* * *

"Is the chief available?"

"No."

"Could I just contact him in his meeting? It's urgent."

"No."

"Will he be done soon?"

"No."

Judy leaned against the glass door, watching the droves of mammals streaming in and out of the ZPD front doors. The conversation she was hearing belonged to Kang, the new receptionist that took over Clawhauser. He was busy responding to an old goat, and he certainly didn't look too happy doing it.

Other officers were about, helping different groups of people answer an assortment of questions. Mostly related to the Nighthowler case. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to the small bunny in a t-shirt and jeans, wearing a straw hat over her head. She was worried that her attire would make her stand out like a fish out of water, but she needed to hide her face as much as she could. In the corner of the room, a large screen display was showing footage of the train carriage that she and Nick had crashed. The video then cut to footage of her and Nick right outside the hospital after Bellwether was arrested.

She pulled the straw hat further down her head.

This was probably taking too big a step, but Judy was never one for conventional measures. Keeping her hat low, she weaved her way through the crowd, bypassing the main staircase and heading straight for a smaller one towards the back. She saw the familiar backs of Higgins and Krumpanski as they climbed the stairs, escorting a pair of deer. Quick as a flash, she slipped in behind them, looking as natural as she could. She kept in step, holding her breath, hoping that they wouldn't suddenly turn around for some reason. They finally reached the second floor, and were continuing to climb. That was when she broke away from the group, heading straight for a nearby door.

 _Okay, relax. Just walk as if you belong._ She wasn't technically wrong—she already did have her job back, although Bogo had specifically told her not to come back till her leg had healed. But walking into the ZPD with her uniform would have probably resulted in instant suffocation with people crowding her. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to be here long. She just needed to find details about Nick's mom, and then she was gone.

The bunny in civilian clothes strode confidently over to the solid door, jumping cautiously to hang on to the handle. She quickly punched in the passcode she remembered, and was rewarded with a satisfying beep and a green flash of light. The lock clicked open.

Pushing the door open a crack, her eyes darted around, scanning the inside of the room. A few mammals were at their desk, typing away softly. They were on the far end of the room though. Everyone else was probably out for lunch.

 _Perfect._

She padded through the room, making a quick beeline to her desk. She climbed onto her chair—which they surprisingly hadn't changed ever since she had quit—and her hands immediately went to her keyboard, punching in her username and password. The moment she clicked 'Enter', though, she only saw a slow-spinning circle. It spun once, then twice, then thrice…

 _Weird. It doesn't normally take this long…_ Was the server under maintenance? No, it couldn't have been. Other people were clearly using their computers.

After a moment, it hit her.

 _I'm not back in the system yet! They must've locked my account after I left!_

Sure enough, an error message popped up on the screen. Judy slumped in her chair. She hadn't considered this, especially since Bogo had given her badge back and everything. She scratched her chin, thinking. There had to be another way. Another way…

 _Maybe I can use someone else's computer? It wouldn't take too long to find Nick's mom in the database. But who can I ask?_

The last thing she wanted was for word to spread that she was here. She had to ask someone she could trust.

 _What about Clawhauser?_

She entertained the thought. Clawhauser was friendly, helpful…and most importantly, he was working by himself in records, where no one would disturb him…or herself.

She stood up, and then headed right back for the side door. A few steps before she got to the door, she heard a loud beep, before the door swung open. There was no time for her to duck into an empty cubicle. She froze.

 _Please be Clawhauser please be Clawhauser…_

"As you can see, our station is well equipped for our officers, and we ensure that our officers are always well prepared to handle any domestic—"

A buffalo was standing in the doorway, with an important looking rhino beside him. Bogo's words fell away when he saw her.

"Uhm…sir." She saluted sheepishly. "I didn't expect your meeting to end so fast."

Chief Bogo could only stare with wide eyes. But soon, the shock seemed to wear off, and he shook his head quickly.

"…Rhinestone, please excuse me for a moment," he said, nostrils flaring.

"Oh?" the middle-aged rhino said, looking at Judy's purple eyes as they came into the light. "You're Judy Hopps, are you not? The acclaimed officer of precinct one that everyone is talking about." He asked. His soft voice betrayed his gruff exterior.

"T-thank you sir," Judy said, swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat. She finally realised who the rhino standing beside Chief Bogo was. The police commissioner of Zootopia, who oversaw all the precincts in Zootopia. Judy couldn't believe she didn't recognise him immediately. A mammal as well decorated as him was standing right in front of her, and she was dressed in bunny-bumpkin clothes. To top it off, she wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place. She felt a little bit of her die inside, and then some.

"Bogo, I assume her being here means that she's back on the force?"

"Y-yes. I apologise for her attire. She's not supposed—"

The Rhino chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure there's a good reason. I'll wait outside. Go ahead and settle what you need."

Commissioner Rhinestone stepped outside, shutting the door gently behind him. Bogo turned. Judy was starting to get a strange sense of déjà vu…

"…Hopps."

"Sir, I…" she could have said so many things right there and then, but the only words that came out were: "…am I fired again?"

Bogo narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms and glaring at her. But surprisingly, after a few seconds, he exhaled and uncrossed his arms, moving them instead to his head and rubbing his temples.

"No, Hopps. You're not. But please, for the love of god, tell me why you decided to show up here in plainclothes and a straw hat on the day that I'm showing the police commissioner that we're on top of domestic attacks." He progressively began to grip his face with his hands.

"I…need to do research on someone, sir."

"Why."

"I need to find her details, sir. It's important," she said, trying to inject some urgency in her voice.

"Does this have anything to do with the safety and security or peace of Zootopia?" Bogo asked slowly.

"Well, no, not exactly…"

"Then that's perfect! Wait here," Bogo said, suddenly looking relieved. Judy could only blink at the sudden change in tone. She stood still as Bogo opened the side door once more.

"Rhinestone, could you go downstairs first? I'll be down with you shortly."

Judy heard Commissioner Rhinestone giving an affirmative. With that, Bogo stepped in, looking considerably more pleased. His pleasure, unfortunately, had the opposite effect on Judy. Her eyes followed Bogo as he strode over to her desk, pressing a couple of numbers. The phone began ringing.

"Hello?"

"Wolford, it's Bogo. Bring your car and meet me at the front porch. I need you to escort someone."

"Yes, Chief."

Judy felt a stone fall in her stomach.

"Sir?"

"Hopps, in the past year that I've known you, I've learnt that trouble always happens when you have that look on your face. And so, I am going to do the best thing possible to prevent exactly that from happening." He started walking towards the main stairs. Judy reluctantly followed.

"I seriously don't understand why you can't just stay at home and relax," Bogo continued. "Wait, scratch that, I do know. Never mind."

For the second time in the last twenty-four hours, Judy felt like a child being reprimanded for misbehaving. Which was sort of true, but still…

"Chief Bogo!" A loud, clear voice rang through the noise in the air, snapping Judy out of her thoughts. Her ears immediately turned towards the source, and her head soon followed. A wolf made his way through the crowd over to where she and Chief Bogo were standing.

"Wolford, please escort Officer Hopps to her house. And make sure she stays there." He whispered.

"Hopps?" he cocked his head, before looking straight at Judy. "Hey Judy! Nice to see you!" He waved his hand, with a stupidly large smile on his face. "Ow!" he yelped as Bogo grabbed his shoulder and yanked the wolf towards him.

"You moron! Can't you see I'm trying to be discreet?!" Bogo hissed. "Hurry up and get out of here! And don't tell anyone about this!"

"Yessir!" the wolf yelped, grabbing Judy by her wrist and pulling her away.

Bogo watched as the two of them disappeared through the front doors. He looked around, making sure that nothing else was around to conveniently make his day more difficult. He groaned, rubbing his temples once again.

He was going to need more aspirin.

* * *

The alleyway was quiet. The setting sun bathed the normally dimly-lit alleyways with warm golden light. The gravel below Nick's feet made a soft crumbling sound as he stepped on them, heading deeper in. He ducked below a broken chain-link fence, being careful not to snag his tail on the broken protruding bits. There was a single van there.

He unconsciously adjusted his tie. It was a habit of his whenever he felt unsure of something. It made him feel more in control. With the decision that he had made a few days prior, he knew he had to do this eventually.

" _Isn't there someone else more important you need to talk to?"_ The voice in his head scoffed.

"Oh be quiet." Nick muttered. That was another problem for another day.

He stepped forward, rapping three times on the back door, before stepping back. A few seconds passed. And then, the doors swung open. A smirk grew on Nick's face.

"Hello there."


	11. Faux Pas

**A/N: With his intent to join the ZPD, Nick knows he needs to have a very important talk with an old 'friend'.**

It's been a while since I last updated. Lots of stuff happening in life, but that's true for everyone. As the year comes to an end, I hope all of you can have a blessed Christmas and a great New Year! May you all be able to handle all challenges you may face, and to enjoy the good times that come.

Thanks to Chris, Minion Master 1, Kylaralynn, Shak112, Omnitrix 12, side-fish, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, Nighttide, Twinboy1995, patrickharris98, Aronim, Britt30, InTheLionsDenOnDA, Fox in the hen house, QuillPenAndAnInkJar, VickyT36, and Viridi . Inanitas for reviewing!

And a special thanks to BeecroftA for helping edit this chapter! He is an excellent writer, and I highly recommend checking out the stories that he has written.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Faux Pas**

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH"

Nick leaned back against the alley wall, stretching his arms with a loud yawn.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH"

He tossed his phone into the air a couple of times, flicking it back and forth between his fingers.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH"

He idly scrolled through his news feed, bookmarking a couple of interesting videos that he came across. He looked up after a while.

"…Are you done yet?" he asked.

Finnick clutched his sides, wheezing and wiping a tear from his eye.

"No wait, no wait, not yet…! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Nick sighed. He'd come over to talk to Finnick's place—his van, anyway—to talk, but right now the fennec fox was more interested in laughing his butt off.

"Okay, I'm done. Phew!" The vertically challenged fox jumped into the back of his van, flopping down onto a mini deck chair. "I still find it absolutely hilarious that you're actually coming clean after all these years, Nick."

"It's complicated," Nick said in response. "Besides, you should know better than anyone else why I want to do this."

"Because you're completely smitten with the fuzz bunny?"

"No!" Nick retorted, glaring daggers at him.

"Relax, chump. I'm kidding. Well, not really, but meh. You've been running your mouth at me for years, so this is my perfect revenge. I mean, a fox and a bunny? I couldn't come up with this stuff if I tried." He paused. "Does she know?"

"No, and I have no intention of telling her about it. And you'd better not say anything about it either."

"Hmph. Why are you chickening out, Nick? Surely she deserves to know your deep down fweelings that you have for her?" he said in a mockingly cute voice, before cackling at the end.

"Look, Finnick. I'm not here to talk about her. I'm here to talk to you."

The fennec fox raised an eyebrow as his phone beeped. He glanced over at the screen, tapping quickly at it.

"What is there to talk about?"

"Uh, lots? I thought you'd be more upset at me for doing this."

"Hmph. It doesn't matter to me. I'll just find someone else to replace you. It's not that hard to pull off a popsicle hustle."

"Ha. I doubt you'll find anyone who can pull the whole thing off as well as I do. It was my idea to begin with, after all."

"I have other hustles," Finnick harrumphed. "It's not like popsicle hustling is the only thing I know how to do."

"Not as profitable, though. And the ones that do bring in the bucks aren't as…legal."

Finnick narrowed his eyes.

"Get to your point before I chew your head off." Finnick said, the irritation clear in his voice.

"As if you could reach it in the first place…" Nick smirked to himself.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"Nothing. Look Finnick, I came here today because I felt I owed you an explanation. For why I'm coming clean."

"Hmph. Yeah, that's a real shocker. What ever happened to 'The world is a terrible terrible place' Nick? The Nick that swore that he'd never do something as stupid as trust a cop?"

"Things…changed."

"More like a fuzz bunny happened," Finnick scoffed. There was a short silence between them, before Finnick cleared his throat.

"Well, it's not like I didn't expect this. You were never hard, Nick. I already knew that."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I know you never wanted this life. You wanted to be a good, honest hardworking fox deep down inside," Finnick replied.

"I don't remember ever telling you that."

"You didn't. It was pretty easy for me to figure out," Finnick said with a shrug. "Have you forgotten? I've been doing this before your tail was even fully grown. Also, you carried around that cub scout band thing everywhere."

Nick's eyes followed Finnick, before he remembered that particular item was no longer around.

"First of all, it's called a neckerchief. And secondly, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Don't care what it's called, and it was just a guess." Finnick glanced up from his phone. "I don't see you denying it…"

Nick rolled his eyes. Finnick continued.

"Point is, I already know why you're coming clean. So there's no need to pour out a long sob story to me."

A short silence.

"We've been partners for what, fifteen years?" Nick finally said.

"Oh great here comes the sob story." Finnick mumbled sarcastically, before adding: "Longer than fifteen."

"Yeah, do you remember the day we met? You're the one who saved me from a hustle gone bad. I would've lost my tail if it wasn't for you."

"Yeah, saving you was a bad decision. I promise I'll never do anything stupid like that again." The sarcasm was practically dripping now.

"We've been a pretty good team since then, though. We pulled off a lot of hustles together since then. Remember the carnival one?"

Finnick let out a low chuckle.

"Heh. That one's hard to forget. Especially since you were the one getting dunked in the water. That was hilarious."

"Yeah, those kind of hustles worked better when I still had the 'young cub trying to work hard' face. I vaguely remember you laughing so hard you almost gave us away."

"What can I say? Seeing you suffer somehow always makes my day better."

"Well, if that's the case, then I should let you know that academy training is supposed to be really tough. I'll probably be knocked around a fair bit."

"Don't forget to send pictures. And a video."

"Of course." Nick smiled. For the first time that day, they both chuckled together. A short silence soon followed. Finnick slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"…How long?"

"Six months. They said I could come back on the weekends sometimes. Why? Do you miss me already?"

"Not on your life!" Finnick yelled back, tossing an empty soda can at Nick. Nick caught it out of the air with a free hand effortlessly, with his trademark smirk.

"I know you don't need me to say this, but that means that I won't be able to hustle with you anymore," Nick said, placing the can down on the ground. "And more importantly, in the event that I do pass the tests and actually become a cop…" Nick hesitated towards the end, unsure of how to actually put it.

"You're gonna try and put me behind bars, Nick?" Finnick harrumphed.

"No, I wouldn't do that. Not unless you really screw up big time. But I have faith that your tiny little fox brain can keep you out of trouble." Nick grinned.

"Or, you could use your position as a cop to give us some slack. Do us some…favours."

"I'm not even in the academy and you're already scheming, Finnick? I guess some things never change." Nick chuckled. "Not even after fifteen years."

"What can I say? I'm a purebred hustler, through and through." Finnick popped a bag of potato chips open.

"Well, it doesn't mean you have to spend the rest of your life hustling, y'know. You could always try something new."

Finnick looked confused at first, but then it seemed to click.

"…ha. Hahahahahaha!" the fennec fox suddenly began laughing loudly again, his laughter echoing off the high alley walls. "You hit your head or something, Nick? Are you actually asking me to come clean with you?"

"Well, I mean, it's not impossible. If someone like her could become a cop…"

"Forget it. For every one of her, there are a million more who failed. There is no way I'm ever coming clean. Ever. You of all people should know why."

"We're both foxes, Finnick."

"Being smaller than the fluff-fuzz doesn't help. And we've already had this conversation before, so let me make this very clear. I am _never_ going to come clean. Not in a million years. You got that?" he growled.

Nick raised his hands in surrender. "Yeah yeah, I got it. I guess I didn't really expect a different answer."

"Then why did you even ask?!" the smaller fox snapped at him.

"Because it's fun to yank your chain." Nick said, standing up and ruffling Finnick's head—and then pulling back quickly before his arm got shredded.

"Well, this has been a complete waste of time. Is this all you came to tell me?" Finnick said, standing with him while giving him the evil eye. "If there's nothing else, I've got things to do."

"Actually, yeah. There's a couple more things."

Without another word, Nick opened the backpack he was carrying, pulling out a small ice box. He hoped that what was inside was still intact. Finnick raised an eyebrow as Nick pulled out a small orange-coloured popsicle in its packaging.

"Isn't this…?"

"Yeah. It is." Nick said, tearing open the packaging. The popsicle was rectangular in shape, with two sticks coming out from the bottom. The ice bag still kept it completely solid.

"You really are a sentimental sappy fox, Nick," Finnick said, shaking his head.

"Maybe I am." Nick replied, gently splitting the popsicle into two. He handed one half over to Finnick, who reluctantly took it. "But it's just my way of saying thanks for the last fifteen years."

With that, Nick zipped his backpack back up and slung it over his shoulder, before sticking his half of the popsicle into his mouth. He watched as Finnick turned the stick over a few times. He seemed to be thinking about something.

"Aw, don't look so down, buddy. You'll still see me around." Nick said, grinning. "Except I'll be on the other side."

The fennec fox looked up, an eyebrow raised.

"Has the sentimental sappy fox told his mama about this yet?"

Nick's grin vanished.

"Hmph. I thought not," Finnick said, finally taking a bite of the popsicle. "Still having your mama issues, I see."

"That's a low blow." Nick grumbled. "Anyway, that's actually the last thing I need to tell you. I need your help with this." He took a pause, before sighing. "Judy is looking for her."

"What for?"

"She's trying to prove that we can 'mend our relationship'," Nick said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, if the fuzz bunny's looking for her, then you're pretty much screwed, Nick. You know better than me what that bunny can do." Finnick said, looking somewhat pleased at the thought.

"No, I'm taking every precaution to make sure that Judy won't find her. But I have a feeling she'll try and approach you sooner or later." Nick's expression turned serious. "I need to keep her as far away from this matter as possible. I don't need her butting her nose into things that don't concern her."

"The last time she did, she ended up solving the Night Howler case…"

"That's different. This is my family business. I need to keep Judy as far away from her as possible. I need you to keep quiet on this matter. Act dumb."

 _I'm sure that acting dumb wouldn't be a problem for you._ Nick was about to add that on to the end of his sentence, but he decided against it. Finnick still had a scowl on his face though. But then again, it was rare for him _not_ to have a scowl on his face.

"Am I getting paid for this?" he finally said.

Nick sighed.

"When I become a cop, I'll see what I can do to close one eye. But don't go too far."

"Yeah yeah I got it," Finnick waved a hand dismissively. "Keep the bunny away from the fox. Yada yada yada. It's not like this is the first time you've asked me to keep tabs on her, anyway." Finnick grumbled, taking another bite out of his popsicle.

"Thanks for giving me the heads-up back then, by the way. It made it a lot easier to deal with her under the bridge."

"Hmph. Whatever. Let me tell you something, Nick. One day, all these things are going to come back and bite you in the butt. And I'm going to enjoy every moment of seeing it."

"I'm sure you will, Finnick. I'm sure you will." Nick said, standing up. "Well, thanks for your help. See you around."

"Whatever."

Satisfied, Nick got up and began walking back down the alley. The sun was low enough in the sky now that the orange rays of light were starting to fade away, but only slightly. The street lamps flickered on to life as he stepped onto the main pavement. It was still early enough in the evening, so Judy probably wouldn't be wondering where he was.

 _I wonder what she's doing?_

* * *

"Hey Judy, is everything okay?"

Judy looked up to see Wolfard looking at her with a concerned look on his face. She hadn't realized she'd been frowning this whole time with her arms crossed. She quickly uncrossed them and softened the look on her face as the cruiser rolled along the main street.

"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine."

"You seem to be pretty good at getting the chief riled up." Wolford said, chuckling. The cruiser slowly came to a stop at a red light. "Why did you come back to work, anyway? I thought he said you weren't coming back for another couple months at least."

 _A couple months? Really? I'm not wheelchair-bound!_ Judy groaned in her head.

"It's a long story. There was something bugging me, and I needed to look for someone's info. I was trying to avoid attention."

"Clearly." Wolfard chuckled. "But you needed to sneak back to work just for that? Must be pretty urgent. It's not another Nighthowler incident, is it?"

"No no, it's not," she said quickly. _Why does everyone think that?_ "It's just a personal issue, that's all."

 _Info…wait, all police cruisers have mobile data terminals!_ She turned to her right. True enough, the minicomputer was there. They were normally used to bring up license details, records, and incidents. It definitely didn't have the full functionality of a terminal in the ZPD, but there was a chance that she could find some info about Evie Wilde in there.

"Say, do you mind if I use the MDT for a moment?"

"Uh, what for?" he asked, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, um, just needed to check some data on someone."

Wolfard paused, staring at her for a moment. "Woah, that's creepy."

"What is?"

"Chief Bogo told me before we left that you would probably ask to check the database."

Judy stared. Wolfard scratched the back of his neck. "He told me not to let you use it."

Somewhere in the back of her head, a voice cursed very loudly.

"I should've known," she finally said, sighing.

"Sorry Judy, but it's the Chief's orders. You know how he is. I'd love to help but…" he looked around the car for a moment, before whispering: "…the walls have ears."

"That only happens because people forget to turn off the comms after they're done using them," Judy replied flatly.

"Wait, really?" Wolfard leaned over to check the receiver. "Oh…"

 _Ever the joker, Wolfard._ Judy thought. Normally she would laugh, but right now she was too busy being annoyed at all the things that had gone wrong today.

The light flicked to green. Wolfard released the footbrake and began accelerating. As he did, Judy's left ear perked up. She turned her head in the same direction.

"Wolfard, stop!" she yelled.

"Gah!" the wolf slammed on the brakes, just a moment before a green car sped past right in front of them. Some pedestrians crossing the road screamed in a similar manner, diving out of the way before the car could run them over.

"Jeez, that guy…!" Wolfard yelled, gripping the wheel. Judy watched as he flipped a switch on his right, before the familiar sound of sirens filled the air. He started to reach for the transceiver, but his hand grasped this air; she was already ahead of him.

"Dispatch, this is car 34, we've—"

"Woah woah woah!" Wolfard yelped, snatching the transceiver away from her.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Judy demanded.

"You can't be on the comms! If Chief Bogo heard your voice, he'd kill me!" Wolfard exclaimed, panic rising in his voice.

"But…"

"Please Judy, just let me handle this, okay? I really don't want to be skinned alive…" Wolfard gulped.

He was giving the equivalent of puppy dog eyes. After a moment, Judy reluctantly acquiesced, sitting back in her seat with a sigh of defeat.

"Alright. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

"… _not clear. Please repeat."_ The voice from the radio spoke up. Judy kept having to remind herself that Clawhauser wasn't working the front desk; he was still stuck in records.

"S-sorry, Dispatch, this is car 34," Wolfard spoke into the transceiver with one hand, while using his right hand to swing the steering wheel right. "We've got a—"

A loud crash cut Judy off. Both she and Wolfard turned their heads simultaneously to the right. Said green car was now stationary, but not in a good way. The front of the car was crushed in, with the hood popping up awkwardly. Another grey car was in a similar predicament—with the damage being to the rear instead. Although Judy didn't see exactly what happened, it wasn't difficult to put the pieces together.

"Scratch that. Dispatch, we've got a 10-52: Car accident on Robin Road, across Central Boulevard. Unknown number of casualties. I'm moving in to check it out."

The person on the line—most likely Kang—gave an affirmative as Wolfard brought the cruiser closer to the collision point. A curious crowd of onlookers was already beginning to form.

"You'd better lay low, Judy," Wolfard said. Like water, the crowd parted as the police cruiser rolled in. Judy grabbed her straw hat and put it on as he put the car into neutral and pulled up the handbrake.

"Yeah, I got it," Judy mumbled as he quickly exited the cruiser and rushed over to the other two cars.

Judy kept her eye on him as he approached the green car. The driver inside was already stepping out of the car, holding his head in pain. Wolfard was motioning for the growing crowd to stay back and not congregate around the area. He definitely looked occupied.

 _Two times._ She thought to herself. _I've been caught two times today. I'm not going to make it three._

She wanted to be out there, helping him, but she knew she couldn't. And yet, this was still the perfect chance for her. She wasn't going to let this one slip away.

She looked around quickly, even though she knew there was no realistic way Bogo—or Nick, for that matter—would be anywhere around here. It was extremely unlikely, but then again, that's what she had thought both times before she got caught. She had to be very sure of this.

 _Okay, it looks like I'm clear. No one is paying attention to me either._

With one eye still on Wolfard, Judy swiveled the laptop monitor to face her. Thankfully, she knew that the password to access the laptop was conveniently written on a small post-it behind the screen—people couldn't be bothered to remember the passwords for each individual device. She punched in the numbers, and did a little victory fist-pump as the familiar homepage of the database came into view.

She pulled the dropdown list and selected 'search by name'. Her heart was beating fast. She typed in 'Evie Wilde'.

A second passed. Then two.

" _NO RESULTS FOUND"_

"No way…that can't be." _Did I spell her name wrong?_

She typed in 'Evey Wilde'

" _NO RESULTS FOUND"_

 _Why is it wrong?_ She tried as many variations as she could think of. Evii, Evai, Eevee…but still, nothing. It was unlikely Nick's mother shared the same name as a pokemammal, anyway.

She ran a quick search for 'Nicholas Wilde', and sure enough, the first hit on the list was the smarmy red fox's face, accompanied with information that she already knew. It was just a picture, but she knew he was taunting her like he always did.

 _Darn you, Nick…You gave me a wrong name on purpose, didn't you?_ It definitely sounded like something he would do. She bit her lip.

 _There must be another way to find her._ She typed in 'Wilde'.

Her heart sank as a few hundred, then several thousand entries filled the screen. Zootopia was a large city, sure, but she didn't expect there to be so many Wildes.

 _Okay, relax. I can narrow this down. Okay, just cross reference 'fox' and 'Wilde'..._

More than a thousand entries populated the screen.

 _Wait, I forgot to specify the exact species!_ She tried hitting the backspace key, but the system wasn't responding nearly quickly enough. She forgot how old some of these mini laptops were. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to be patient with the machine. She quickly glanced up at the sound of ambulance sirens. There were paramedics already at the scene. Fortunately, it seemed that there weren't any serious casualties. Unfortunately, that meant that Wolfard was already on his way back. Probably to run some license plate checks.

Desperation started clawing at her. She willed the computer to go faster, but she knew no amount of hoping would help. In the end, she forced herself to close the program and move the screen back to its original position, just as Wolfard approached the window.

"Are they okay?" she asked immediately.

Wolfard nodded. "Yeah, the car in front was stationary, and there wasn't anyone inside. It's just our little friend in green who fell asleep behind the wheel."

"Was he drunk?"

"No, just old." Wolfard chuckled. "He says he doesn't even remember getting into the car. And you know what? I actually believe him."

"At least no one was hurt…are you going to run his plate?"

"Was going to, but Chief called. Told me to send you home first. He's getting Higgins to cover this one."

Judy heaved an inward sigh of relief. It looked like he didn't suspect anything. But that relief was short-lasted when she realized she was still no closer to finding Nick's mom than when she started the day.

 _Not even a lead, an address, anything._

Whatever it was, Judy had to think of another way to find this mysterious 'Evie Wilde'. Her investigation was starting to become harder than she expected.


	12. Dreams

**A/N:** **As the big day approaches, Judy tries her best to get Nick ready for his admission to the academy. Nick isn't quite as ready to be ready.**

Thanks to MelyRomo1983, Thanash, thecrazystorywriter14, Jknight97, Guest, Tinbuzzard11, WolfofAvalon, Twinboy1995, dispix94, Omnitrix 12, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, side-fish, 22animals, Thou Craggy Knob, InTheLionsDenOnDA, GhostWolf88, BeecroftA, Metal Amadeus, Fox in the hen house, Kochich, and Minion Master 1 fo reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Dreams**

 _Ten days more._

 _Ten days till I enter the academy._

A small drizzle was beginning to form in the sky as Nick made the long walk back to Judy's place. It wasn't nearly heavy enough to be annoying, but it did make his ears flick when the raindrops brushed across his head. At least it didn't look like the rain was going to get any heavier, from the placid expression of the clouds above. It was probably just a passing shower.

 _Everything is changing so fast._

Nick could still hardly believe all this was happening. It didn't even feel that long ago that he was counting Pawpsicle money in the back of Finnick's van, before heading back under the bridge for a nice afternoon nap. He was leaving it all behind. His old life, his hustles, everything. There wasn't any going back. It was pretty much a big jumble of turbulent emotions inside him that he couldn't quite place. Nick liked to think he always had it all planned out, but in times like this, he wished he had someone to ask…

" _You do have someone to ask."_ A familiar voice in his head echoed.

"Oh hey, haven't heard from you in a while," Nick mumbled sarcastically to himself. "And the answer is still no."

" _It doesn't make sense. You're coming clean. You're doing what she always wished you could do. Why won't you see her?"_

"Coming clean now doesn't erase the last ten years. And you know how she felt about this sort of thing. She'd probably disown me on the spot."

" _Do you think she won't notice the news if you make it through the academy? First fox on the force isn't something that you can hide from her. And you know she'll start looking for you once that happens."_

Nick bit his lip.

"I'll worry about that when the time comes."

" _You know how well that's going to turn out."_

"Oh be quiet." Nick knocked the side of his head with a fist. Another voice was starting to fill his head anyway.

"…yes, Wolfard dropped me off a while ago. Is something the matter?"

 _Carrots?_

Her voice was soft, but loud enough to be heard. A bunny was standing near the road, leaning against a lamppost. She was on her cell phone, talking to someone. Any doubts that Nick had about the bunny's identity were quickly dispelled when he saw the country bunny getup, topped with a straw hat. He started to turn the corner.

"…You mean Nick?"

Nick froze in his steps at the mention of his name, before pulling himself back and ducking behind a brick wall. He leaned a little closer, trying to listen in on the conversation. It was difficult to hear who was on the other end of the line, but the voice sounded gruff. Probably not female.

"… _Rhinestone…letter…end of next week."_ The voice was distorted, barely intelligible.

"I understand," Nick heard her say. After a few more mumbled words from the other end of the line, the call came to an end.

Nick scratched his chin, confused. None of the words made much sense. And that both intrigued and worried him. What was the bunny planning? At least it didn't sound like it had anything to do with his mom. But then again, it _was_ Carrots, so he could never quite be sure.

 _Well, there's always an easy way to find out._

He backed away from the wall, counted to five, and then turned the corner as casually as he could.

"Carrots? What are you doing out here?" He called out. The bunny quickly turned at the sound of his voice. "And what's with the country bumpkin getup?"

"Oh, Nick, you're back!" Judy said, lifting her straw hat and smiling. "I'm trying to be inconspicuous, you know. My leg's feeling better, so I went for a walk. I've been trying to give it some exercise."

"I think you and I have very different ideas of 'inconspicuous'." Nick chuckled. "Also, knowing you, you'll probably end up overdoing it and tearing your stitches. And then I'll have to bring you to the hospital again." He walked up to her.

"Relax, that won't happen." Judy replied. "How were the aptitude tests?"

"The tests were fine. Annoying, but nothing too difficult. But then they asked a new trainee to take my blood…I swear, he probably wouldn't be able to find a vein if you slapped him with one." Nick shook his head.

"That explains the bandages around your arm," Judy grinned. "Oh yeah, what did they say about you not having a driver's license?"

"They're giving me a couple of months to get it. Guess I'll have to go see Flash sometime soon. Anyway, we'll think about that later. How was your day?"

"Terrible. Staying at home is boring me out of my mind," she replied, groaning.

"Surprising absolutely no one."

She ignored the quip. "Anyway, since I can actually walk properly now, how about we go out to eat for once? We can talk more over dinner."

"Sure. Lemme just go put my stuff upstairs first. Be right down."

With that, Nick climbed the flight of stairs towards their shared apartment. He began replaying Judy's words in his head, but nothing she said seemed to hint at anything obvious.

 _What are you up to, Carrots…?_

* * *

"We have to go to court?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. We were pretty much as involved as we could've been," Judy replied, flattening her ears to let a tiger carrying a tray of food past. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I've never actually testified in court before. Never been on trial either. You never need to if you never get caught hustling." Nick leaned his head on his arm, while his elbow rested on the table.

"You've never been caught by the police? Not even once?"

"Nope. Too good for that."

"So that means I was the first…" A cheeky grin grew across her face.

"Let's not go there again…" Nick mumbled.

They were at a street side noodle shop somewhere near the edge of town. Even though Nick had said that it was one of the less crowded places to have dinner, from the look on Judy's face, she definitely didn't seem to think so.

"How did you even get a table? This place is crazy packed." Judy asked, glancing around at the mammals that were standing around, waiting for a table.

"I know the chef. His father has been doing this before I was born, and he knows his noodles. Also, aren't you bunnies used to eating in more packed places than this back home?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Not at this time. Where I come from, most places are closed by sunset. There isn't really much to do at night when you're living on a farm, anyway. Too dark to do anything. Not like here. Here is…"

"Bright?" Nick offered.

"Glaring, more like. But yeah, there's definitely more stuff to do in Zootopia." Judy popped a dumpling in her mouth. "Mmm…this is really good."

"His dumplings are the best. The best thing after eating a big bowl of noodles and dumplings is a nice long nap. That really hits the spot." Nick murmured blissfully, before slurping the noodles from his own bowl.

"Don't get too used to it," Judy replied. "When you're in the academy, you won't get that much time to sleep. Also, a big tummy isn't going to help you."

"Says the bunny who ordered a second helping…with extra dumplings."

From the sudden erection of Judy's ears, Nick could pretty much tell he hit the nail on the head.

"I'll…work it off!" she protested, going a little red.

"And so will I," Nick countered, winking at her. "So, when's this court appointment, anyway?"

"That would be…the Monday after." Judy glanced over at her phone, presumably double checking the details. "It's at nine in the morning."

"Isn't that the day I enter the academy?"

"Well…yeah. Chief Bogo said that you can go after the court session. You'll just miss out a bit of the morning admin stuff."

"I get to avoid boring paperwork to go to court? Sounds great." Nick slurped up the last of his noodles. As he did, a badger zoomed past, dropping a fresh bowl onto the table unceremoniously before disappearing back into the crowd. Judy gave the fox a quizzical look.

"Wait, you'd rathergo to court? Seriously?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"As long as I'm not the one on trial, for sure. Have you actually sat through a court proceeding here in Zootopia yet?" Nick leaned over and scooped up a dumpling from Judy's second helping.

"No, why?"

Nick felt a grin growing across his face.

"Oh, you'll see."

* * *

 _Seven days more._

" _Today marks a historic day for the city of Zootopia, for all the wrong reasons—"_

Click.

" _I will bow to your experience…as the fool—"_

Click.

" _YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER FROM ME!"_

Click.

"So, you'll have to wake up at five pretty much every morning, unless they're doing live-firing training, in which case you'll probably have to wake up an hour earlier than normal…" Judy said, flipping through a large notebook.

"Uh huh," Nick replied, staring straight ahead at the television.

"It'll be a stay-in program for the first two weeks, after that you can come back home on the weekends."

"Mm-hm."

"They're going to be very strict with things like posture, movement, and things like that. When they tell you to go somewhere, make sure you run at all times, even if you know you'll just end up waiting there."

"Yeah yeah yeah…"

"Nick, are you actually listening to me?" Judy scowled, giving the red fox a look.

"Not really."

"NICK!"

"Carrots, I'm not even leaving for another few days. And I'm pretty sure other recruits didn't need to go through Judy boot camp before they entered the academy. I'm pretty sure they still managed to pass just fine."

"I'm just getting the feeling that you're taking this too lightly, Nick. This isn't going to be as easy as one of your hustles, y'know." Judy said, her legs hanging off the edge of her bed. "This is a completely different ball game."

"I never said it was going to be easy. Also, hustles definitely weren't easy, if you were wondering."

"You're sure acting like it's going to be easy. It's not just about passing, Nick. You're going to need to impress, otherwise you won't be able to join me in Precinct One. You remember what Chief Bogo said, right?"

"Something about high scores or something, right?" Nick yawned, flipping the channels on the television.

" _Highest_ scores, not just high scores."

"Alright, I'll bite. Tell me why it's going to be difficult." Nick said, turning away from the TV for a moment, although he still left the show running.

"Well, first of all, you're going to have to pass a lot of exams. There will be on average, one test a week. You're going to have to study while going through daily training. And there's a lot of content. Rules of engagement, civil law, radio communication, ethics…"

"Why Carrots!" Nick mock gasped. "Are you insinuating that I can't pass an ethics exam?"

"I distinctly remember you bluffing a cop into buying a jumbo popsicle for you and your 'son'." Judy fired back.

"And because of that, here we are." Nick grinned. "Isn't it great? And for the other exams, I don't think studying will be very difficult."

"It's not just studying, Nick. There's still a lot of physical training. They need to make sure you're fit enough to chase a suspect, for example. Then there's weapon training, obstacle courses, and a lot of scenario training."

"Those don't sound too difficult. What's scenario training?"

"They put you into a lot of challenging situations to see if you can take it. Like working to rescue a hostage within a very short time limit. That means you'll need to work fast and think fast. You also have to make sure you can plan things out well."

"Hmm…does rescuing a crippled bunny from an evil sheep count as a hostage rescue?"

"That's…"

"And the whole blueberry-serum switch? I'd like to think that was thinking pretty fast on the spot."

The bunny still seemed unconvinced, although she didn't seem to have a good retort to that.

 _Hmm…_

Without a word, Nick stood up. He walked over to his small cupboard, opening it and rummaging through the lowest drawer. He pulled out a large brown book from inside, before returning to Judy's side.

"What's that?" she asked. It looked more like a sketchbook than a planner.

"I thought I'd show you this, since I probably won't be using it that much anymore." He opened it gently, being extremely careful with the pages. The crumpled and worn pages looked like they'd been flipped thousands of times. And they were. He felt a familiar feeling building up in his chest. It was probably nostalgia.

On each page, were plenty of handwritten notes, most of them in point form. There were multiple directional arrows travelling across the pages, with several diagrams being referenced every other page. It was almost an overload of information. Some of the pages were crossed out, while others had parts circled here and there. Nick glanced over at her face, following her eyes as they took in all the things that were written on the pages.

 _Idea 41: Claw machine arcade rigging_

She flipped a few pages forward.

 _Idea 43: Fur and wool resale (carpets and rugs)_

"These…are hustling plans." She finally said.

"In case you're wondering, I never do a large-scale hustle without planning it out first. That includes getting all the documentation, market prices, backup plans, and of course, unforeseen circumstances." Nick said.

Judy definitely looked stunned now. She continued turning the pages, skimming through all the different ideas that Nick had come up with over many years. Nick smiled inwardly at the sight of her bewildered face.

"Well, is this convincing enough, Carrots?" he asked, amused. "It took me years to prepare this whole thing. All Wilde trademarked. It's probably worth quite the pretty penny. It's no cop training, but I have been in plenty of dangerous situations before. Including with you. You wouldn't have asked me to be your partner if you didn't think I could do it, right?"

Judy's ears flattened as she let out a little grumble. "Yeah, but it still doesn't mean you can slack off…"

 _Sigh…typical Carrots._

Nick placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, how about we go to the DMV on Wednesday to see Flash? We might be able to get my license settled. We've got another week before I'm due for the academy. There will be enough time to do what we need to do, alright?"

That seemed to placate the bunny somewhat.

"Alright, fine."

"Good, now why don't you join me in watching this incredibly cheesy sci-fi flick?" Nick motioned to the television.

"I thought you didn't like to watch TV. You said so back when we were moving your stuff."

"Yeah, but I haven't figured out the Wi-Fi for your neighbours yet. Once I do, I can stream stuff from my phone. Then we can stop watching those annoying ads."

"So much for being ethical."

* * *

 _Five days more._

A fox and a bunny walked through a deserted parking lot, the dim street lamps casting a long shadow across the gravel. Their feet made soft splashes as they tried to step around the larger puddles on the ground. The rain had all but stopped, with only a few stray drops falling from the leaves above.

"I don't see any lights on…" Judy said, squinting at the frosted glass doors. "Are you sure they're open?"

"Oh they're there, don't worry about it," Nick replied, chuckling. "Don't you know that they're always here four hours before it opens? They'd never be able to get through the backlog of work otherwise."

The bunny looked over at the front door, where the words "DMV Operating Hours" were written in large bold blue letters. She then glanced at her phone clock.

"It's five in the morning, Nick…"

"Why are you looking at me like that? I thought you _wanted_ to wake up at five in the morning all the time."

"I'm just surprised you were the one who actually suggested to come here so early." Judy remarked. "It's quite unlike you."

"Not much choice there. The circuit is booked pretty much all day long. This is the only way to get a car without a booking."

"So why didn't you ever bother doing this before?"

Nick pointed wordlessly to the time on her phone. She rolled her eyes.

"…Right."

"I do enjoy my sleep, Carrots. But I can deal with an afternoon nap if I need to every once in a while. Now, let's go in."

"Go in? How?"

Nick pushed the front door open with a hand.

"Like that."

"Wait, it's open?!" Judy exclaimed.

"Yeah, of course it's open. I just said that they're always here early. Why wouldn't the door be open?"

"But there's not even a single light on. Where's…" Judy suddenly stopped cold. Nick could almost hear the bunny's heart jumping. Her eyes were probably adjusting to the darkness inside the room. He couldn't really blame her for having that reaction. The first time he'd seen it, his fur stood on end too. For anyone who had never seen this before, it would look extremely unnerving.

In the darkness, what appeared to be sloth outlines inched slowly behind the table counters, like something from a silent horror film. With only the dim light from outside barely reaching the deeper parts of the room, the figures looked like ghostly silhouettes hovering above the ground.

"Do you see them?" Nick whispered into her ear, making it twitch sharply.

"Y-yeah. But why are they going about without any light? Are they out of power or something?" she whispered back. So far, none of the sloths seemed to have noticed—or reacted—to both of them entering.

"Sloths can see fine in the dark, Carrots. In fact, the only one who can't see well in the dark is you. Now come on, hold my hand. I'll lead you to the front desk."

"I can see just fine, thanks." She huffed. "Besides, it's just a straight walk to the front counter." She started walking forward. Nick started counting in his head.

 _3…2…1…_

There was a loud thwack, and then the sound of a bunny trying to hold back a yelp. Nick smirked and stepped over the bunny, who was kneeling on the ground.

"They don't usually organize the area for another hour at least. Was it the pinky toe that you stubbed?"

"Hnnngh…yes."

"Ouch. Need a hospital?"

"Wipe that smirk of your face, Nick." She groaned softly.

"How do you know I'm smirking? I thought you couldn't see in the dark."

"I can hear you smirking. You're practically screaming." Nick felt a small hand softly clasping around his. The sudden action made him stiffen—but only for a moment. He forced himself to relax and just enjoy the little moment while it lasted.

"Right. Anyway, just follow me."

He began navigating through the room, which wasn't too difficult, especially since there weren't many more obstacles in the way. In no time at all, they were at the front desk. This close, it was easier to see what the sloths were actually doing.

"Flash, Flash, hundred yard dash. Mornin', bud." Nick said softly, so as not to startle the others. He waited and watched as his friend turned his head—slowly, of course. He felt Judy's hand shift slightly, and he decided to let go before it became a little too awkward.

"…Niiiiick? What…are…you…doing…here…so…early?" Flash finally managed.

"Yeah, it's unlike me, I know. Remember the appointment I made with you before for lessons? Well, I finally got around to doing it. But I don't want to bother you too much. So I brought my bunny friend here. Remember Judy? She's teaching me how to drive. You won't mind if we do a few laps around the circuit now, would you?"

"Hi Flash." Judy finally piped in. "Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning."

"…Sure." Flash replied nonchalantly. "Go…ahead."

"Thanks bud. I owe you one." Nick gave a thumbs-up, before making a beeline towards a set of double doors towards the back of the room.

"Well, that was easier than I expected." Judy commented. "And faster."

"Are you discriminating against sloths again? I told you they could be fast."

"Don't start with that again!" Judy groaned.

Unlike the main lobby, the parking lot was lit, albeit dimly. A whole array of grey cars filled the lots, with sizes ranging from small to elephant-sized. Although there were many vehicle designs, all of them were marked with the DMV logo, and a large red 'L' plate fixed onto the front and end bumpers. Nick walked a few minutes before stopping at one of the medium sized cars.

"This is it," Nick said, patting the hood of the car before pulling the door open and sliding into the driver's seat. "Hop in."

The bunny gave him a look.

"Please tell me the pun wasn't intended." She deadpanned.

"It absolutely was." Nick smiled. He patted the seat next to him. Her expression unchanging, Judy climbed into the side seat.

"Alright, do you know the first thing you need to do when you get in the vehicle?"

"Of course." Nick replied. He raised his hand and pressed the horn. Two loud toots rang out throughout the carpark, making the bunny jump in her seat. She began to shoot him a glare, but halfway seemed to give up.

"It's going to be a long day, isn't it?" she sighed.

"Always."

* * *

 _Two days more._

Nick whistled to himself as he bounded up the steps to Judy's apartment. Well, technically it was his apartment now, too. He twirled a key ring around his finger as he approached his room door. Inspecting the key for a moment, he nodded, before pushing the key into the lock. It went in smoothly. He turned the key, and the lock clicked once, before the door creaked open.

"Hey Carrots, I'm back." He pushed the door open. "The replica key works great."

The room was lit by the bright glow of the table lamp Nick had donated to her apartment. But the bunny wasn't in the room. Nick glanced over to the shelf where Judy kept her toiletries. A number of the bottles were missing.

 _Ah, she must be taking a bath._

Nick shut the door behind him, before tossing his key onto the table. The key clattered a few times, bouncing off a notepad and onto the floor. Nick grumbled under his breath, bending over to scoop up the key before firmly setting it on the table.

Something caught his attention in the corner of his eye. The notepad was mostly covered by a stack of flyers and brochures he'd picked up the day before from the supermarket, but he saw a familiar word written in the corner of the page that was sticking out.

 _Nick_

He swept the brochures aside with a hand and pulled the notepad out. It looked like Judy's handwriting. He had expected it to be a message left for him, but the only thing that was written on the small piece of paper was his name, and the word 'Friday'. Nothing else. No notes, no instructions.

"What kind of message is this?" Nick said out loud, puzzled. And if she wanted to leave him a message, why would she keep it hidden under all those flyers? It was as if she didn't want him to find it. As he scratched his head, he noticed that Judy's drawer was slightly ajar. He could barely see the edges of a piece of paper in there. He knew that she was pretty protective of whatever was inside that drawer.

The gears were clicking in Nick's head.

He had a hunch.

Pulling the chair out slightly, Nick placed a hand on the handle.

" _Look who's being hypocritical,"_ a voice chided in his head.

"I just need to know if she's plotting something against me. I know she hasn't given up on my mother yet."

He pulled open the drawer. The first thing he saw was what looked like a handwritten letter. He decided to at least have some decency and avert his eyes from everything else in there. He gently lifted the letter out and gave it a quick look over. The first thing that caught his eye was his name. And it wasn't just one mention. A quick glance through the mail revealed several instances of his name being mentioned.

" _Dear Commissioner Rhinestone,"_

"Wait, Commissioner…?" Nick mumbled to himself. The word sounded familiar. And then it clicked. Judy's conversation over the phone from a week ago. It was just a guess, but Nick had a sneaking suspicion that he was right. He glanced back at the door. It was unlikely that Judy was trying to pull off his own trick against him, but he didn't put it past her. He slipped over to the door and yanked it open.

The hallway was empty.

" _Now you're just being paranoid."_

"It's Judy. There's no such thing as being paranoid when it comes to her."

Nick closed the door gently and returned to the computer, keeping his ears open for any potential footsteps. Regardless, it was probably in his best interest to read the letter as fast as possible.

 _Dear Commissioner Rhinestone,_

 _My name is Judy. I was informed by Chief Bogo to help clarify his recommendation for Nicholas P. Wilde to the ZPD academy. First of all, I would like to apologise for the circumstances of our meeting last week. Regardless, it was still an honour for me to meet you in person._

Nick raised an eyebrow. Judy had never mentioned anything about meeting a police Chief Commissioner even once in the last week. And she'd been with him for most of it, so when did she find time? He shook his head and continued reading.

 _I first met Nicholas while I was working on the Nighthowler case several months ago. At first, I had my reservations about him due to his brash personality and sharp tongue—_

"Hey!" Nick grumbled.

— _but I quickly realized what kind of fox he truly was. He was willing to assist me in my investigation, and his help was invaluable. I can confidently say that without his help, I would never have found the true culprit behind everything. He is an extremely quick thinker, and incredibly resourceful. He saved my life twice during the course of my investigations. Once when I was being attacked by one of the savage predators, and another time when former Mayor Bellwether tried to eliminate the two of us when we learnt the truth about her involvement in the case._

 _On top of displaying bravery and courage in the face of danger, I believe Nicholas will make an excellent officer because of his values. He may appear to be uncaring and aloof, but I have never met anyone as kind-hearted and caring as him. I unfairly misjudged and wronged him several times, but he still stood up for me when no one else would. He has shown time and time again that he has what it takes to make it as an officer of the ZPD._

 _He believed in me, and I believe in him. I have no doubt that—_

The message ended there. Judy was probably still in the middle of writing the letter. Nick read the last sentence again. And again.

" _I believe in him."_

"This isn't…" Nick finally mumbled to himself. This had nothing to do with his mom. This was a recommendation letter. She was recommending him directly to the Police Chief Commissioner.

He suddenly felt ashamed to be holding the letter the way he was.

And yet, at the same time, he felt a warm feeling inside him. He couldn't quite place the feeling. Optimism? Fear?

His ears perked up as he heard footsteps approaching. He quickly folded the letter and returned it to the drawer, leaving it ever so slightly ajar. He then slid the notepad back under the stack of flyers, before jumping onto his mattress. The footsteps approached the door, but then faded as they moved past the room. After a few seconds, it was clear that they didn't belong to Judy. Nick slowly stood up.

" _I believe in him."_

Those words were so familiar. Once again, she was saying things that his mom had always told him. He glanced over at Judy's bed and the assortment of stuffed toys on it.

It gave him an idea.

He plucked his key off the table and headed out, locking the door behind him. There was something he needed to get now. He knew it wouldn't be very much, but it would probably be good enough as a reassuring gift. As he stepped into the evening light, he exhaled softly.

 _Two more days…just two more days._

The day was almost here. There was no going back from this now. Nick held his hand to his chest. It still felt warm. He was starting to understand what he was feeling.

Hope. Hope that things would turn out for the best. Hope that this time, he would be able to see things through to the end.

And hope…that he would one day be able to face his mother again.


End file.
